Before It Gets Beautiful
by HydeLuver
Summary: "Things get worse before they get better." Sequel to Making it Work.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Victorious_ or any of its characters.

**Author's Note: **This story is the sequel to Making It Work, so if you haven't already, you might want to read that one first (just so things here make sense).

It is the day before Andre and Rachel's wedding and Beck finds himself in a strip club, celebrating his friend's last day as a single man. He has been here for approximately two hours and already is playing baby sitter to his drunken buddies. Andre and Robbie have taken it upon themselves to have a "shots battle" to see who can down the most in a minute. While Andre ultimately won, with an impressive seven, the hangover he will undoubtedly experience at his wedding might actually make him the loser. Beck sits back in his chair, looking around the club, making sure his friends don't get into any serious trouble.

Also, he has been fending off strippers all night. He's lost count of how many approached him throughout the night, but he is beginning to run out of excuses. His friends, calling him a kill joy for turning the girls down, left him to go have some fun of their own. They're probably right and he should be enjoying a boy's night out, but he knows better than to mess up all the progress he's been making with Tori.

Ever since she agreed to be try and be friends, he has gone out of his way to prove to her that he can be trusted. They went on group outings with their friends, she introduced him to her roommates from college and he would invite her on the set of his latest project. They would spend time at her house, with her family and go on mini road trips to visit Trina and her fiance James. Anyone who didn't know them would assume they are a couple just by the way they interact. Their hands always found a way to brush against each other and he always catches her staring at him, but she rarely catches him.

Things are going well between them, but Beck would be lying if he says he is content with where they are. He wants things to move faster, wants her to just give their relationship another chance. He misses the feel of her hands intertwined and her lips against his. He hates that he can't hold her at night and hold her for longer than ten seconds without it being awkward. Not that he can tell her that since he agreed to "take it slow." It's already been over a year though, how much longer does he need to wait?

"Hey, hey lets get this man a drink" yells Andre to no one in particular as he approaches the table. He yanks Beck's empty glass from his hands and holds it up in the air. "Bartender" he continues while waving the glass from side to side.

Beck raises his brow in amusement and tries to track down the nearest waitress. He manages to make eye contact with a girl wearing the club's all black uniform. Her shorts barely make it past her posterior and her top had the club's name, Flash City, in red and white rhinestones. Her dark makeup emphasize her green eyes and her long black curls are pinned back in a ponytail. Beck beckons her over and points at the glass in Andre's hand. She simply nods her head in understanding and walks over to the bar.

"Ha, my man Beck, check you out" Andre says much too loudly before exploding in a roaring laughter.

"I think you've had too many drinks man" Beck says.

"Naw man, no such thing. Besides, looks like the party's just started. The way that girl looked at you, you're a lucky man" Andre slurs and manages to sit on the edge of the high stool.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Beck responds. He looks away from Andre and looks around the club. He spots Robbie and Andre's friend Michael at a table towards the front, throwing dollar bills for the dancer on stage. Beck shakes his head and smirks. Seeing Robbie Shapiro, his nerdy friend from high school, so comfortable in a place like this is truly mind boggling. Then again, it shouldn't be that surprising considering that he is now a newly single man.

A few weeks prior, Robbie reached out to him, after years of no communication, and they both rekindled their friendship over beers and hockey. Beck had filled him in on his life with and without Tori as well as his acting career. Robbie caught Beck up on his experiences as a behind the scenes technician at Universal Studios and his relationship with none other that Cat Valentine. Beck hadn't known they were even together, and apparently few others did. They were together just over three years when suddenly, Robbie got home and she was gone.

"No explanation, nothing. I haven't heard from her since" Robbie had told him.

At that moment, Beck knew he didn't have it as bad because at least he still saw and spoke to Tori. Sure she left him, but she didn't vanish without reasoning.

"Come on Beck, she so wants you. You should try and make that happen" Andre says, bringing him out of his trance.

Beck turns back to look at Andre and wonders just how drunk his friend is. He's Tori's best friend and he knows everything that's gone down throughout their relationship. The lies and betrayals, the countless months trying to reestablish some sort of friendship. If Tori heard him now, drunk or not, she would be hurt.

"You know I can't do that" Beck answers firmly.

"Because of Tor huh?" Andre asks. Beck simply nods.

A short silence follows in which the music changes from a Nirvana instrumental to Prince's _Darling Nikki_. A few of the waitresses cheer as the rock rhythm and loud vocals blare from the speakers and several men howl at their reactions. The dancer on stage wraps her leg around the metal pole and begins twirling, matching the beat perfectly.

"You have to let that go man, there's no way Tori's taking you back. Not after what you did" Andre starts up again, turning his attention from Beck to the girl on stage.

Beck squints his eyes. Did he hear right? Did Andre know something he isn't aware of? Just then, the waitress walks up to them and places Beck's drink in front of him. "Keep the tab open?" she asks and he nods his head.

Once she walks away, he starts his line of questioning."Why do you say that? Has she said anything to you?"

Andre turns back to his friend and the corner of his lips curve up. The smirk makes Beck unsettled and he starts to panic. Has he been wasting his time trying to win her back?

"She didn't have to say anything. I know Tori and I know she will never forgive you" Andre states, slurring his words and tilting his head back a bit.

"Oh, so you're just making an assumption based on..."Beck trails off, waiting for his friend to provide further explanation.

"Based on all the days I saw her crying over what you did to her. Based on years of being her best friend and knowing that no matter how much she pretends to be okay, she keeps everything bottled up inside so others won't feel bad. Trust me, you're not getting her back" Andre replies, his tone getting more aggressive, his volume increasing so as to be heard over the loud music.

Beck can see that things will most likely escalate between them and won't end well, but hell if he cares right now. He doesn't care how well Andre knows Tori or how protective he is of her, their relationship is none of his damn business and there's no way he's going to let Andre talk shit, bachelor party or not.

"Well I know Tori too, and trust me, we're fine. I get that you're close to her and are trying to look out for her, but so am I and I would never hurt her."

"Oh, you mean like you did when you cheated on her?" Andre asks matter-of-factly.

"That's not your business" Beck answers. He clenches his teeth and scowls at Andre across the table. He really didn't want to get into an argument with one of his closest friends the day before his wedding, but if Andre keeps pushing, he'll have no other choice.

"It became my business when she called me, crying, and I had to pick up the pieces. You and I both know you can't protect her like I can. I can take care of Tori better than you ever can. Just let her go" Andre says while slamming the palm of his hand loudly on the table.

Suddenly, Beck wonders if this is more about Tori's decision to give him a another chance and less about him being unfaithful. He thinks back to their junior year at Hollywood Arts, when he was still dating Jade, Andre admitted to having feelings for Tori. The two of them, along with Robbie, were filming a short film for their visual arts class when Robbie started going on about the best looking girls in the school. At the mention of Tori, Andre had gotten defensive and, after several minutes of being drilled with questions about her, he admitted he did in fact, like her.

That's partly the reason why, once he started dating Tori, Beck kept a watchful eye on Andre. He always saw how at ease she was around him and how many inside jokes they had. He was aware of how easily they were able to talk to each other and how quickly they wrote songs together. Their friendship made him uncomfortable, but it's not something he could tell her. Had he expressed those feelings, he might have been asking her to choose between them, and he wasn't sure she would pick him over her best friend, so he let it go.

That is, until he learned that they would both be going to college together, with no one else from their group. Andre would be around Tori whenever he wanted and he would be hundreds of miles away in New York, wondering if anything was going on. Ironically, he is the one who cheated and ruined the relationship.

"You're still in love with Tori, aren't you?" Beck asks with certainty.

He watches as Andre, taken aback, moves further back on his stool and tightens the muscles of his face. Both men glare at each other and it instantly becomes obvious that this night will not end well.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Andre starts. "I'm marrying Rachel tomorrow, so be careful what you accuse me of."

"You didn't answer my question" Beck replies, his tone cool and sarcastic.

"No, I am not in love with Tori. She's my best friend and I'm looking out for her, that is all."

"You know, you're a better musician than you are actor because that wasn't the least bit convincing" Beck replies as he folds his arms across his chest. He carefully watches as a mix of emotions flash through Andre's face. _Anger. Fear. Guilt. _He didn't need to say anything, it is clear that Beck is right. Even in a drunken state, Andre is unable to hide his emotions.

"I would back off if I were you Beck" Andre spits bitterly through clenched teeth.

"Or what?" asks Beck defiantly, willing to take on whatever Andre might throw at him at this point.

"Trust me, you don't want to find out" Andre replies. If there's one thing Beck knows about Andre, it's that he can't carry out a threat. As much as he wants to come across as a tough guy, he's all talk.

As an uncomfortable silence dawns on them, Beck sees Robbie approaching the table. The curly haired man struggles to reach his friends and stumbles a few times. Once there, Robbie pulls out the last empty stool at their table and sits on it.

"I ran out of bills, can one of you spot me?" he asks, unaware of the tension between his two friends.

"I would, but I'm afraid Andre might have a problem with it. You see, he tends to get attached to things that aren't his" Beck says at his friend's expense.

"Yeah? Well Beck here will probably expect something from you if he does lend it to you" Andre retorts.

"At least I know to worry about what's mine. I don't go around worrying about other people's things in the hope of taking it for myself" Beck answers.

"Things? So she's your property now? I'll make sure to tell her when I see her tomorrow" Andre replies.

At the two continue going back and forth, Robbie looks at each of them, unsure of what is going on. Suddenly realizing that something bad is going on between them, he tries to understand what they are talking about but fails miserably. Neither are making sense anymore. Robbie can't remember the last time he saw Andre and Beck arguing. Both, as far as he remembers, are rational and don't let their emotions get the best of them. Even during their high school days, they were the two to create harmony within the group and calm them all down if things were going wrong.

He continues listening to their argument and the only thing he's able to get is that they are talking about Tori. Why though? What would Andre want to do with Tori when he is marrying Rachel in less that 24 hours?

"Just admit it, admit that you want her and that the reason you're angry with me is because I have her" Beck exclaims, his index finger too close to Andre's face. Robbie quickly reaches over to his hand and gently pushes it away from Andre before the latter can react and the situation escalates to another level.

"I do _not_ want Tori and I suggest you stop going around saying that and trust me, you don't have her and she is not going to take you back. Especially not when I tell her about this" Andre says before getting down from the stool he was sitting on. He starts turning away from them but stops midway. "And if it's not obvious, you're not to come to my wedding" he finishes and continues to turn and walk away from Beck and Robbie.

Beck watches as Andre walks away from the table and towards the bar. He scoffs aggressively and hops down from his stool. Seeing his reaction, Robbie gets down from his seat and grabs his friend. "It's not worth it" he says, trying to make Beck be reasonable. "You want Tori back right? Well beating her best friend up the day before his wedding isn't going to help your case. Just go home."

Beck takes one last look towards Andre and then looks at Robbie. His shoulders slump slightly and he nods his head. "You're right, I'm out of here" he says. Beck turns towards the table and downs the remainder of his drink. "Thanks Robbie" he says patting his friend on the back.

"See ya man" Robbie replies and looks after Beck as he begins making his way towards the exit. He turns to where Andre is and exhales deeply.

_Who's going to spot me now? _Robbie thinks before turning to walk towards the bar.


	2. Chapter 2

Tori is sitting in her car, frantically turning the key trying to get the engine to start. "Come on, come on" she says in frustration. She turns the key a few more times and groans when the engine simply gives out rather than start. Tori throws her head back against the headrest, a decision she quickly regrets as the bobby pins holding her rollers in place press against her scalp.

"Damn it" she continues as she rubs the back of her head.

She reaches over to the passenger seat next to her and begins digging through her purse for her cell phone. Within seconds she feels it towards the bottom and fishes it out. She presses a button and reads the time, 2:16 pm. She has exactly fourteen minutes to get to the church and tend to her maid of honor duties.

All morning she has been running around doing last minute errands for Rachel. She's had to confirm times with the band and caterer. She spent nearly an hour on the phone with Rachel's parents, going over last minute details and the appropriateness of her father's speech. Also, much to her displeasure, she had to turn her apartment upside down in order to find Rachel's vows, which she'd carelessly misplaced. Somehow they had ended up in a box in the back of her closet and Tori, being so good at hiding things, had forgotten about it.

Tori takes the car keys and attempts to turn it one last time in hopes that luck is on her side, just this once. Her effort, however, is in vain as the engine simply makes a sad sound and goes off. She rolls her eyes in annoyance and begins scrolling through the contact book on her phone. She quickly goes down the list of names until reaching O. _Oliver, Beck_.

She highlights the name and presses the "call" button. "Please pick up" she mutters under her breath as she takes the car keys out of the ignition and stuffs them into her purse.

She waits impatiently as the dial tone starts up on the other line. "Come on" she urges on while tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. After a few more rings, she hears a "hello?" and sighs in relief.

"Oh thank God" she says instantly.

Beck laughs and says "nice to talk to you as well."

Tori blushes slightly. Even though he can't see her, she's embarrassed at how desperate her greeting must have sounded. Although they have been making progress and have come a long way since their relationship ended, she constantly needs to remind herself to play it cool so as to not give him hopes of a sudden reconciliation.

"I know you're probably busy getting ready for this thing but is there anyway you can stop by and give me a ride?" Tori continues, ignoring his laugh. "My car won't start and I'm already running late."

"Oh, um...sure I can be there in fifteen minutes" Beck responds hesitantly.

"Thank you so much. I'll wait for you here. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tori exclaims before hanging up.

She grabs her purse and opens the car door. She rolls her eyes at the silver automobile and makes a mental note to have someone check out what the problem might be. Being car-less in California is not an option, especially when she's trying to book jobs. She turns her back on the car and starts heading out of the building's garage to wait for Beck out in front.

A little under fifteen minutes later, Tori spots the black truck pulling up and sighs in relief. She hops off the bench she has been sitting on and quickly walks to his car.

"Nice hair" Beck says before she even gets in the car.

"Ha ha" Tori replies as she opens the passenger door and gets in. "I didn't have time to finish because I was looking for the Rachel's vows" she says while closing the door and fastening her seat belt.

"You lost the vows?" Beck asked.

"No, do you think I would be going if I did? Rachel would kill me. I misplaced them, but I have the paper now so it's alright."

Beck smiles and starts driving towards the church where the wedding is taking place. He listens intently as Tori goes on about her hectic day making last minute preparations and seeking for the vows. "Luckily Rachel has my dress at the church so it's one less thing I had to worry about" she continues. Beck looks over at his ex-girlfriend, her pink valor pants and white shirt remind him of the days they used to spend at their home together, watching movies and enjoying each others company. He has always appreciated that she doesn't feel the need to dress up for every occasion and doesn't mind dressing down. The few girls he's dated before (and stupidly, while with her), always dressed up around him. Probably because he's "Beck Oliver, the actor," and it secretly annoyed him when their heels clicked and lipstick gleamed when all they were doing was watching a movie.

"Speaking of dressing," she says interrupting his thoughts, "aren't you a bit under-dressed for a wedding?" His gray shirt, torn black pants and combat boots definitely do not scream wedding guest. His hair is messily half up in a bun and his round sunglasses complete the casualness of his outfit. Beck smiles and doesn't answer right away. Tori looks behind her to the back seat of the truck to see if his suit is there but doesn't find one.

"Are you getting dressed at the church too?" she asks.

Beck quickly glances at her and then turns his attention back to the road. "No" he says.

"So where's your suit? Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with what you're wearing but Rachel...Well, she's gone full bridezilla and might actually kill you."

"You wouldn't like that very much, would you?" Beck says jokingly.

"Shut up" Tori laughs. Surely he would love to hear her say how much it would in fact bother her, but she isn't going to. She can't give into her feelings, no matter how much she might want to. She still doesn't trust him completely and isn't going give him mixed signals. "So a suit, do you have one?" she presses on.

"I'm not invited to the wedding" he finally says without looking at her.

"What are you talking about? I helped Rachel send out the invitations, of course you're invited" she replies, the words coming out quicker than she wanted them too.

"Yeah well, not anymore" he replies. He turns to quickly look at her and sees her confused expression. He knows he should clarify, but then he'll have to tell her all about the strip club and perhaps about Andre's feelings for her and frankly, it's not a conversation he wants to have while he's moving at fifty miles an hour.

"What happened?" Tori asks. She's already becoming frustrated that she has to pull the information from him. She wants to know why he's no longer invited to the wedding but at the same time doesn't want it to seem as though she cares more than she should. So what if her ex-boyfriend, somewhat friend is uninvited? Why would that make a difference to her? She could easily say it didn't and that she didn't care. Truth be told though, it does and she does.

She was looking forward to having a good time with the people closest to her and celebrating the love of her two best friends. She wanted to share the day with Beck and had hopes that seeing the happiness around them might help their relationship. She wants to talk to him, laugh with him...Damn it, she wants to dance with him. So what the hell could have happened that is now standing in the way of her perfect day?

Beck sighs. He's known her long enough to know she's not going to let up and he'll eventually end up telling her. It might also be a good idea to tell her before she sees Andre and he tells her a different version of what happened.

"Andre's party was last night. We went to this club and he got drunk. We were talking and he started bringing up things I didn't like so the whole thing just escalated. He uninvited me and that's that. Seriously, it's no big deal" he says nonchalantly, his eyes focusing on the road.

"What kind of club?" she asks, her voice almost a whisper.

Taken aback by that being the one thing she took away from what he said, he turns quickly to look at her. "Seriously?" he says before turning back to look at the road.

"Yes, what kind of club was it?"

"Why does that matter?" he questions in disbelief.

"Was it a strip club?" she presses on, her voice gaining volume. Her body is now turned to face him and he can feel her eyes burning a hole on his skin. There's that feeling again, the one that tells him things are not going to end well.

"Yes" he says after a few seconds of silence.

"You went to a strip club? Seriously?" she says and he can sense the anger in her voice.

"Tori, nothing happened, it's not a big deal" he replies.

"You keep asking me to trust you and you go to a strip club! Does that make any sense?" she continues, her voice louder than before, her hands flailing with every word

"For Andre's bachelor party, it's not like I went by myself and all I did was sit at the table and have a few drinks."

"Oh bull shit, I don't believe you" she says and turns her body away from him. She turns her head and is now looking out the window. Beck groans and drives a bit farther until he finds a parking space. He slows the car down and quickly pulls it into the spot.

"What are you doing?" she asks turning to look at him.

Beck turns the key and pulls it out of the ignition. The engine's vibration seizes and he clicks his seat belt open. He turns his body to face hers and pulls his sunglasses off his face. "I swear to you nothing happened. You can ask Andre if you don't believe me."

"Oh, Andre who was drunk? Yeah, I'm sure that will convince me" she replies sarcastically and rolls her eyes.

"Robbie, Michael, whoever. I wouldn't lie to you Tori, not again."

"I just don't understand Beck. We've been making all this progress and now it's like taking three steps back. You know I'm having a hard time trusting you, you thought it was a good idea to go to a place where women take their clothes off?"

"I see why you're upset and I understand why you can't trust me, but I promise you that nothing happened. If there's ever a time where you should believe me, it's now. I wouldn't jeopardize you and our relationship for anyone."

Tori stays quiet for a few minutes and then finally exhales. She brings the pads of her fingers to her forehead and rubs it from side to side. "What did you two argue about?" she finally asks.

"Tori, I don't want to talk about that right now" Beck states, quickly remembering the exchange with his friend the night before.

"Was it about the wedding?" she asks.

"Tori, please. It's between me and Andre. I don't want you in the middle of it."

"I'm already in the middle if it's between you two" she exclaims. She looks into his eyes, the first time she has really looked into them since before their breakup. Her heartbeat suddenly increases and she immediately has to look away. Even eye contact is too much for her to handle without giving into his demand of being together.

"You're not. He's your best friend and I wouldn't dream of saying something that might hurt your friendship with him" Beck says, deciding that he isn't going to badmouth Andre, not to Tori. If Andre chooses to speak badly of him, he'll have to deal with that and hope it doesn't affect the way she thinks of him. He will just have to be the bigger person (as hard as that is in this situation) and keep Tori out of his problems.

"Was it about me then?" she concludes.

"If you want to know so badly, ask Andre okay?" he says. Beck takes the car keys and puts them back into the ignition. He turns them and the engine immediately starts up again. Beck checks his mirrors and slowly pulls out of the parking space.

"Trust me, I will" she says firmly and reaches for the radio.

As they continue the drive to the church in a rather uncomfortable silence, the sounds of Pat Benatar's _Invincible_ resonates around them.

'_I'll get to the bottom of this_' Tori thinks.

**Author's Note: **Obviously this chapter is Bori-centered. As you go through the story you'll see that not all of them are like that. While the story is definitely Bori, there are a few relationships I've already mentioned so you'll also see those as the story moves forward. I would appreciate your input on the story so far and will see you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Beck slowly pulls up into the church's narrow driveway and a sense of dread instantly washes over him. Tori is already questioning the progress they've made and now there's a possibility that Andre will make it worse. Who knows what Andre will tell Tori, but Beck knows it can't possibly be anything good. He's just afraid that Tori will end up believing her best friend over him, not that he could blame her, he hasn't been the most trustworthy person in the past.

"You sure you don't want to come in with me? We can both talk to him and work it all out" Tori suggests, hopeful that he will say yes and she can actually enjoy the day.

"I'm sure Tori, I don't want to cause any problems on his wedding day. Just go have fun, don't worry about it" Beck replies. He smiles at her to show that he is okay with things.

"You know I can't not worry about it" she says causing him to laugh. For as long as he's known her, Beck knows Tori can't relax and have a good time unless things around her are at ease. Whenever any trouble arose within their group, she tried to find ways to fix them. Even if she ended up making things worse, which was most of the time, her willingness to help is endearing.

"Just try and enjoy it okay?" He asks.

Hesitantly, Tori nods her head. "Thanks for the ride" she says and shoots him a small smile.

"Anytime" he replies returning the smile.

Tori turns to open the door and as her hands reach the door handle, she turns back to look at him. He is still smiling and for whatever reason, she leans over and kisses him. As their lips touch for the first time in over a year, she feels exhilarated and light headed at the same time. The sensation is similar to how she felt during their first kiss all those years ago. It feels innocent and intense...amazing.

A few seconds later she pulls away and smiles when she sees his eyes are still closed. Slowly, he opens them.

"I'll call you later" she says quickly, not wanting to give him the opportunity to talk. She wants the kiss to just stand as it is, no questions about it or intentional jokes to lighten the mood. She definitely does not want to explain what made her do it, because she's not completely sure herself. All she knows is that it's something she's been wanting to do for some time now and finally got the courage to do.

"Okay" he says. Simple, just the way she wants it.

Tori turns her back to him and opens the car door. She steps out of the car and closes it behind her, taking one last look at him. She gives him a small wave goodbye and starts walking towards the church, making sure to put an extra pep in her step just for him. She hears the car drive off when she opens the front doors of the church and sighs.

'_Now to find Andre_' she thinks making her way around in search of someone who can tell her where he is.

It doesn't take very long for Tori to find someone. Near the church pews she spots Michael, Andre's college roommate and best man. Tori smiles when she sees that he is just finishing up a prayer. Unlike most people, Michael found spirituality at a very early age. His parents took him to church every Sunday morning and he eventually became part of the choir. Whenever Tori is feeling down and can't find Andre, she goes to Michael. He is amazingly nonjudgmental and always provides good advice.

Once he rises from the pew, Tori starts walking towards him. "Hey, hey" she says happily, the anxiety from a few minutes before diminishing.

"Hey yourself" he replies turning to look at her, his tone equally happy.

"Wow look at you" she says admiring her friend's spiffy gray suit and contrasting purple pocket square. His white shirt is crisply ironed and a bow tie pulls the look together. He raises his brows and playfully turns around so she can admire the entire package. Tori laughs and whistles. "Very nice" she says.

Michael laughs once he's finally facing her again and bows slightly. "Why thank you Ms. Vega. I would say the same about you but frankly, you're not dressed the part for this wedding yet."

Tori decides to do her own little twirl to show him just how under dressed she is. "My car wouldn't start so I had to catch a ride here. I'm on my way to see Rachel but I need to speak to Andre first, do you happen to know where he is?" Tori asks.

Michael nods his head. "Make a left outside the doors and it's the fourth door down. He's in there with Robbie and Rachel's brother, you should be able to hear them" he replies.

"Great, I'm going to go find him. I'll see you soon" she says turning to leave.

"Hopefully you're actually dressed for this thing then" he says jokingly. Tori turns around, sticks her tongue out and quickly turns back.

In the hallway she can hear loud noises and assumes it must be the guy's room. As she walks towards the room, she exhales deeply. Hopefully Andre will tell her what happened between him and Beck the night before. Maybe she can convince him to forgive Beck for whatever happened and invite him to the wedding again.

She stands in front of the door and the noise gets increasingly louder. Tori presses her ears to the door and can hear the guys swearing and slamming their hands on something. Confused, Tori knocks on the door and when she doesn't hear a response, slowly turns the knob. Inside the small room, she sees Andre, Robbie and Parker, Rachel's brother, sitting around a circular table, a deck of cards in the middle of it and each man is holding a few in their hands. There is a small amount of money on the table as well as three shot glasses, filled with what she assumes is tequila.

"Are you guys seriously gambling and drinking in a church?" she asks incredulously finally getting the guys' attention. One by one they look up from their hands and give her an innocent look.

"Hey Tori" says Parker while Robbie only waves and looks back down to his deck.

"Hey Tor" Andre replies, "we're just having a little fun before the big moment."

"In a church though? Classy guys" she responds walking over to grab an empty chair and place it next to Andre.

"It's a tradition guys do. No big deal" Robbie says without looking up from his cards. Tori scrunches her face in disbelief and decides to drop the subject. For a few moments she watches as the guys pick up or drop down cards. Several times they add a few bills on the table. Tori tries to count the bills and gets to twenty-three when Parker suddenly slams his cards on the table.

"Full house" he yells, joyfully hopping out of his seat. "Drink up suckers" he says while gathering up the money from the table. Groaning, Andre picks up a shot glass and quickly downs the liquid. Robbie takes a little longer to drink it but eventually joins his friend.

"Okay, no more," starts Andre. "Rachel will kill me if I show up drunk to this thing."

"How many have you had?" Tori speaks up.

"This would be number four" Andre answers. He takes his shot glass and tips it upside down. Robbie does the same and puts his on top of Andre's.

Laughing, Parker shakes his head and begins counting the money he's just won. "You guys should just stick to go fish or something" he exclaims as he takes his seat once again.

Andre rolls his eyes and turns to look at Tori. "Did you need help with anything Tor?" he asks finally addressing the reason for her being there.

"Oh, I just came because I need to speak to you about something but if you're busy I guess it can wait" she says, hoping that he will bite and talk to her.

"No, I'm just killing time. What's up?" he asks.

"Actually, I was hoping we could talk privately" she says trying to be as discreet as possible. From the curious looks she's getting from Robbie and Parker, however, she knows she wasn't so subtle.

"Um, okay sure. Want to step out for a bit guys?" Andre asks Robbie and Parker who hesitantly nod. Tori waits until both men stand up and leave the room to begin talking to Andre. Even after the door closes she takes a few seconds to figure out the right way to ask him.

"This is about last night right?" he asks beating her to the punch.

Tori can't help but smirk. Of course he knows what this is about, he has been her best friend for almost a decade now. She nods her head and watches him stand up from his chair and walk to the opposite side of the room. She observes him carefully, trying to see if there are any signs that he might be upset that she's brought it up.

"I should have known he'd tell you about it" he says bitterly. Tori arches her eyebrow and remains silent, waiting for his next move.

"Son of a bitch" he hisses which catches her off guard. She gets off her chair and walks over to him. Not wanting to give him any further opportunities to bad mouth Beck, she jumps. "What the hell happened Andre? You guys were fine and then this morning he tells me you uninvited him to your wedding?"

"I just don't trust him Tori, and I don't think you should either" Andre says.

"W-why? Did he do something?" she questions. An array of Beck hooking up with strippers flood her head and she's instantly unsure whether or not he told her the truth.

"Of course he did, when he cheated on you. I don't understand why you haven't kicked him to the curb already. He's just walking around getting a chance he doesn't deserve."

Tori stares at her best friend, shocked at his outburst. What the hell happened the night before to suddenly turn two great friends into enemies? Didn't Beck say Andre was drunk? He can't possibly remember everything that happened last night, can he?

She sighs before speaking up. "Andre, that's between him and I. I want to know what happened between you two last night."

"We just disagreed on a few things, that's all" he replies coolly.

Tori shakes her head from side to side. She's going to need more than that. "Andre, you and Beck have been friends for years, longer than I've known you. There's no way a few disagreements is going to mess up your friendship. What happened?"

"Tori, in case you haven't noticed, Beck and I haven't been that close the last couple of years. Ever since college when he went to New York, we've been butting heads. The only reason I even stayed in touch with him is because of you."

"What are you talking about? You invited him to our graduation, that's how we got back together" she responds confused.

"Yeah, because I knew you missed him and it would mean a lot to you. My friendship with Beck would have ended much earlier if it hadn't been for you" Andre says and walks to stand closer to her.

"I just don't get it, you guys always seemed okay around each other."

Andre reaches to put a hand on Tori's shoulder. "It's what you wanted to see Tor. Your relationship with both of us was fine so you didn't see anything wrong with ours. We haven't been cool for a long time now."

Tori brings her hands to her face and rubs her eyes. Is he right? Could she really have been so oblivious to the tensions between them because she wanted everything to be perfect in her life?

"Andre, you're my best friend, why didn't you tell me then?"

"Because I wouldn't stand in the way of your happiness. It was easy to suck it up and be around him because he was good for you at first. Then after the cheating and the lies... it became harder but I made the effort for you."

"Then what changed? What happened last night that made you change your mind?" she asks bringing her hands down and looking at him.

Andre takes a deep breath. There's no way he can tell her about Beck's accusation without making things awkward between them. There's no way he's going to bring them up on his wedding day. The main reason he uninvited Beck was to avoid any drama that might come up. He's not about to create it himself, Rachel would not let him live it down. "He just said some things he had no business saying."

"Like what? Come on Andre, you're not giving me anything. I'm here stuck in the middle between my best friend and my boyfriend and it's-" Tori says before being interrupted by Andre.

"Boyfriend?" he asks, shock evident in his voice.

"I didn't mean that, it just slipped out" she quickly corrects herself.

"Oh you can't be serious? You're really thinking of giving him another chance? After everything that happened and all the nights you cried over what he did, you've got to be kidding me" Andre says angrily. He moves away from her and starts walking towards the table with the cards. He takes a clean shot glass and opens the tequila bottle. Slowly, he pours the clear liquid into the small glass and chugs it down.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Tori asks strutting over to where he is. She takes a hold of the bottle and pulls it away from him.

"No, what the hell are you doing? I really didn't peg you for one of those stupid girls Tori" he says angrily.

Tori's eyes widen and she takes a step back. No matter how angry he gets at her, Andre has never been one to insult her. He could pick on her music, her clothes but never her decisions. He's never judged her until now. "I'm not stupid" she says defensively.

"Yeah, well you're sure acting it right now. Can't you see how bad this guy is for you and you take him back time after time. No wonder he thinks it's okay to cheat on you."

Tori's eyes begin to water at the harshness of his words. Maybe it's his animosity towards Beck or the five tequila shots he's now had, but this bitter and cruel Andre is not one she cares to be around. She steps closer to him and shoves the bottle of tequila into his chest. He quickly brings his hands to grab it. Tori spins on her heel and starts towards the door.

"You're uninvited too. Now you can go be together" Andre yells forcing her to turn around and stare at him in disbelief.

"Andre-" she starts.

"I want you to leave" he says firmly.

Tori shakes her head and wipes her eye before the first tear rolls down her cheek. She turns back towards the door, opens it and slams it shut.

Having just kicked his best friend out of his wedding, Andre sighs and plops down on a chair. He places the tequila bottle on the table and begins twisting the cap open.

_Lucky number six_ he thinks as he begins pouring the liquor into the glass.

**Author's Note: I want to apologize to any Tandre shippers who might be reading this. I know I'm making him a little crazy but it's all for the sake of the story. Stay tuned to see if he can repair his friendships with Tori and Beck (that is if Rachel doesn't kill him for getting drunk). Until next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day everyone. Hope you all enjoy it, single or not. As my little gift to you, here's a new chapter. Please review and tell me what you think of it so far! Next chapter should be up Wednesday. **

Once the door shuts behind her, Tori leans back against it, finally letting the tears stream down her face. She shouldn't have said anything. She should just have listened to Beck and kept her mouth shut. Now, she's gotten into the biggest fight with her best friend and for what? She still doesn't know what happened last night between Andre and Beck. After a few minutes, she wipes her eyes with the back of her hands and pushes herself off the wall.

Just as she does so, she sees Robbie and Parker at the end of the hallway, walking towards her. She smooths out her shirt and walks towards them.

"Done talking already?" Parker asks as they get closer to her.

Tori nods her head slowly. She tries to smile so they won't sense anything is wrong but fails miserably. The harder she tries to appear happy, the more upset she gets and soon her eyes are watering once again.

"Tori what's wrong?" Robbie asks as he takes a step closer to her. He brings his hands out and grabs a hold of hers. Gently, he caresses the back of her palms in an effort to soothe her. Tori gives him a small, appreciative smile and shakes her head from side to side.

"What did he do?" Parker jumps in, his brow furrowed and jaw clenched tightly.

"You guys should get in there, he started drinking again" is all she can muster to say.

"Damn it" hisses Parker before walking past her towards the room Andre is in.

Robbie sighs heavily and lets go of Tori's hand. He brings his hand and runs it through his dark, messy curls. "What the hell is going on with him?" he finally asks her.

Tori bites her lower lip in another attempt to hold back the tears. She inhales deeply and folds her arms across her chest. "He kicked me out of the wedding" she tells Robbie.

"What?" he asks her dumbfounded.

"I came to ask him about Beck and what happened last night. We talked and he got mad that I'm giving Beck another chance and he kicked me out."

Robbie shakes his head, not able to comprehend what is going through Andre's mind. First he gets into an argument with Beck, and now he's kicked his best friend out of the wedding.

"Something's going on with him Robbie. I've never seen him act this way before" Tori says.

"Neither have I" Robbie responds.

"Please go talk to him" Tori pleads him. Maybe Robbie can try and calm him down, find out what has him acting this way. Hesitantly, Robbie nods his head. He opens his arms and brings Tori in for a hug. Tori steps into his arms and returns the embrace, feeling lucky to have such a great friend. As they pull apart, they smile at each other and she looks after him as he walks towards Andre's room.

As Robbie turns away to go check on Andre, Tori calls out to him. "Robbie," she says and he turns once more to look at her. "Rachel's room, do you know where it is?" she asks. Robbie nods his head. "Go down the hall and you'll see a red door. She's in there" he replies.

"Thanks" Tori replies and the walk in opposite directions.

It takes Tori just a few seconds to get to the other side of the long hallway. Coming across an old red door, she inhales deeply before knocking.

"Come in" she hears a voice say and pushes the door open. A smile quickly spreads across her face as she sees Rachel and her two bridesmaids dancing around the room. Rachel, in her white robe and slippers, is jumping up and down excitedly as the other two girls, in their purple dresses, sing loudly along to Van Morrison's _Brown Eyed Girl._

"Tori" Rachel says loudly once she notices her chuckling by the door. "Where have you been?"

"My car wouldn't start, Beck had to give me a ride over" Tori exclaims. She closes the door behind her and walks over to an empty chair. "Oh Beck huh?" Rachel starts, her tone playful. "First he gives you a ride and then...you know" she says winking and laughing.

Tori immediately shakes her head. "It's nothing like that, he just did me a favor. Besides, he left right away."

Rachel stops laughing and looks curiously at Tori. "What do you mean he left?" Tori stares at Rachel. She was sure Andre had told her about it. "I..I thought Andre spoke to you already."

"I haven't spoken to Andre since yesterday afternoon. What happened?" Rachel asks.

Tori glances towards the two girls just a few feet away. Rachel follows her gaze and asks them if she can have a minute alone with Tori. Both girls oblige and step out of the room. "What's going on? Why did Beck leave" Rachel asks taking a seat on a chair near Tori's.

Tori bites down on her lower lip and looks around the room. How does she begin to tell Rachel about Andre uninviting both herself and Beck because of some drunken stupor he's decided to stay on?

"Tori, come on, we don't have a lot of time. Did something happen between you and Beck?" Rachel urges on wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"No. Actually, we were both kind of uninvited today." Rachel furrows her forehead in confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asks.

Tori takes another deep breath. "Andre, he got mad at us and told us not to come" she says as quickly as possible.

"Wait, back up. Why did he get mad at you guys?"

Shrugging, Tori says, "I don't know why he got mad at Beck and when I went to find out, he just got really mad at me and told me to leave."

Rachel got up from her chair. "I'm going to go talk to him" she says while taking a few steps towards the door. Tori quickly jumps up from her chair and rushes to block the door. If Rachel goes to Andre's room, she'll most likely find him drunk and there's no way this wedding will happen.

"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding" she adds quickly, trying to convince Rachel to stay.

"Only if she's in the dress Tor. I'm just going to sort this all out" Rachel says, determined to confront her fiance about uninviting their friends from the most important day of their lives.

"Rachel, don't. Look, Parker and Robbie are already trying to talk to him. If you go, he'll know I talked to you and he'll never forgive me."

"Yeah but he can't just kick you out over something that was between him and Beck, You're his best friend and _my _maid of honor" Rachel says, folding her arms across her chest.

"I know but I don't want him to get more upset or be the reason you guys get into an argument on your wedding day. I just thing it's best if I just leave and I'll find some other time to talk to him.

"No Tori, he's wrong and there's no reason for you to leave" Rachel continues.

"I promise, everything will work itself out, but I have a feeling he just needs time and if he sees me at the wedding...I just don't want to ruin it" Tori exclaims. Of course she would love to be a part of the wedding, and if Andre wasn't completely drunk she could let Rachel go and talk to him. Unfortunately, that's not an option and she just needs to make Rachel understand that it's better if she left.

Rachel throws her head back and sighs in frustrations. "I can't believe he would do this, today of all days" she says. Tori gives her a small apologetic smile and silently hopes that's the only thing Andre does to piss Rachel off today. Hopefully Robbie and Parker have managed to sober him up before the ceremony.

"I don't want you to be upset with him though. This is your wedding day. We should have some fun" Tori says trying her best to sound excited. "How about you find another song and I'll go get the girls and we can start celebrating?" she continues.

Rachel laughs and nods. "Great" she says as she walks over to the small stereo. Tori opens the door and goes to find the bridesmaids.

Less than ten minutes later, all four girls are sitting around, laughing as they share stories of crazy adventures they've had with Rachel or the countless times they'd had to sit through an intense argument between Rachel and Andre only to have them make up minutes later. For the next half hour, they enjoy each others company and Tori forgets all about the conflict with her best friend.

"Oh gosh, I remember the time he used the deposit for the apartment to buy a new guitar. I thought for sure you were going to kill him" says Marissa, one of the bridesmaids.

"I almost did" Rachel chuckles.

"Hey so, I know it's almost time for you to start getting ready, but I want to say a few things since...well, you know" Tori says, getting up from her chair. Rachel nods in understanding and Tori begins a speech she had saved for the reception.

"I just want to say that I am beyond happy for you and I could not have asked for a better person to be marrying my best friend. In all my years of knowing you, you've been like a sister to me and you helped me get through some of the most devastating moments of my life and I couldn't be more grateful for you. Rachel, you are by far the kindest, most selfless and loving person I have ever known and I wish you and Andre all the happiness in the world."

Tori smiles broadly as her friend stands up and embraces her. Tori returns the hug and as they pull apart, the laugh. Both have tears of joy running down their faces.

"Thank you so much Tori. You have no idea how appreciative I am of you and everything you have done for me throughout the years. Even though this whole mess is going on, I want you to know that you're the reason I'm here. You introduced me to the man of my dreams and I'm forever indebted to you." Both women bring their hands to their faces and carefully wipe away the tears.

"No more crying" Tori says, "go start getting ready."

Rachel nods and starts walking away but is stopped when Tori calls out to her. "Rache wait" she says and rushes across the room to where her purse is. She digs into it and pulls out a neatly folded piece of paper. "Your vows" she says, handing the paper to Rachel. Rachel takes the paper from Tori and lets out a breath. "Thank you, I almost forgot."

"Sure. Congratulations" Tori says, a hint of sadness present in her voice. She can't believe she is going to miss her friend's wedding because of a petty argument.

Rachel smiles at her and says, "I'll call you, okay Tori?"

Tori nods her head and looks after Rachel and the bridesmaids as they exit the room to go get ready. As the door closes behind them, Tori sighs and walks over to the sofa near her purse. She plops down on it and reaches for her bag. Once more, she looks through it until she finds her phone. She looks through her recent calls and dials the top number; Beck's.

After it rings a few times, she hears a click and then his voice. "Hey, what's going on?" he answers.

"Hi, I'm at the church, can you please pick me up? I'll explain when you get here" she replies, praying that he can come get her.

"Sure, I'm on my way" he says and hangs up.

She waits for the phone screen to go black before tossing it back into her purse. Slowly, Tori grabs her purse and gets off the chair. She takes one last look around the room and then makes her way outside the church to wait for Beck.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Bori chapter! Hope you all enjoy it and I want to thank those of you who have taken the time to review. I am absolutely appreciative of your comments.**

It doesn't take very long for Beck to pull up in front of the church and Tori is relieved when she sees his truck pull up. In the minutes she's been sitting out in front, a million thoughts have gone through her head. She has been trying to figure out what the argument with Beck and Andre was about, how the wedding would go, if Andre is sober enough to go through with the ceremony. All the thoughts overwhelmed her and she's happy to have someone to talk to and vent. Once Beck brings the car to a stop, she walks towards it and hops into the front seat.

As she's adjusting her seat belt she can feel his gaze on her. She turns to look at him and notices the questioning look on his face. "What happened in there?" he asks, not wasting any time.

She leans back on the passenger seat and closes her eyes. "I'll tell you, but please drive. I need to get out of here."

"Did he do something to you?" Beck asks defensively.

Tori's eyes quickly shot opened and she sits forward. "No, of course not. He wouldn't do that Beck, we just got into a little argument. Please just go."

Beck narrows his eyes and continues looking at her, trying to figure out if she is telling him the truth. "You're sure?" he asks again.

Tori nods. "I promise." She watches as he slowly nods his head up and starts pulling out of the church's driveway. She stares at him for a few more seconds and a small smile forms on her face. It's great to know that he's still so protective of her. Even though she's been making him run around in circles just to get her back, his desire to look after her is flattering and feels great.

"So what happened?" he says, disrupting her private thoughts.

She turns her attention from him to the road ahead. She's still not entirely sure how her conversation with Andre escalated so quickly and to the degree in which it did. She can understand why he was upset when she slipped up and called Beck her boyfriend, but to kick her out of the wedding for it? It didn't make sense. The only reason she can think of that made him act that way is all the alcohol he's consumed.

"Tori?" Beck urges on as he shoots a quick glance in her direction.

Tori shrugs and shakes her head. "I should have just listened to you" she says.

"I didn't want you to get involved, I told you that " Beck says firmly.

"I know you said to leave it alone, but I couldn't. He's my best friend and you're...well you're you. I just wanted to try and fix things."

"So what happened?" Beck asks again, wanting to know what went down between his friend and the girl he's in love with.

"I just went in to find out what happened since you wouldn't tell me" she starts while turning to look at him. She rolls her eyes when she sees him smirk and continues. "Everything was fine at first...he's had a lot to drink and it just took a turn for the worse."

"He's still drinking?" Beck questions, shocked.

"Yeah. Beck, something's going on with him. You know Andre, he doesn't act like this and he certainly doesn't drink this much. I'm really concerned."

Beck tightens his jaw and keeps his eyes on the road. It upsets him that she cares this much about Andre. Of course she should be worried about her best friend, it is natural. However, the fact that he knows Andre's true feelings and has seen the bond between him and Tori makes Beck nervous. Their friendship has always made him nervous. It was easier to hide when he and Tori were together because she isn't the kind of girl who cheats, but there has always been a pit in his stomach as far as Andre is concerned.

"He got really mad at me and told me to leave" Tori continues, unaware of Beck's daze.

As a short silence falls upon then, Beck quickly asks, "what about Rachel, did you talk to her?"

"I did talk to her to explain what happened-" Tori starts before being interrupted.

"She knows he's drinking?"

"No, of course not. I couldn't tell her that. I just told her we got into an argument and we agreed that it would be best if I just left. I don't even know what the hell this is all about. Beck, what happened last night?" Tori asks, needing to know why this altercation with her friend even started.

"Tori, I really don't want to get into that. I told you not involved."

"How am I not supposed to get involved? This affects me because two of my closest friends are upset with each other and you won't even tell me what it's about" she says trying to contain her frustration.

Beck flinches as she refers to him as a friend. It's been years since she's called him a "friend" and frankly, it's not a term he's very fond of. "I'm sorry you're in this position, I am. I didn't think things would go this far."

"So you're really not going to tell me what happened?" she asks one last time, hoping he would cave and tell her. Unfortunately, he just shakes his head and keeps driving.

"Fine, whatever" she huffs and crosses her arms across her chest. This makes him laugh and she glares at him.

"If you want to vent, you can but I'm not going to tell you what happened. If you want to know, you're going to have to wait for Andre to tell you" Beck says, amused at how much interest she's showing.

"I don't want to talk about it, I just want to get my mind off it. No more Andre, no more _strip club_" she emphasizes and rolls her eyes which causes him to smirk once again.

"Okay, so I won't talk about it anymore. What do you want to do to get your mind off of it?" he asks as he switches lanes.

"I don't know, anything. I just need a distraction from this whole day."

Beck sits silently for a few minutes, giving her the opportunity to think of something she might want to do. He feels bad that she's now in the middle of a bad situation and if he can make her feel better in any way, he's willing to do anything she wants.

"I just realized I never asked you if you have any plans today. I'm having you drive me around, I'm probably keeping you from something" Tori says quickly, embarrassed that the thought never crossed her mind. Lately, she has allowed herself to fall back into a routine in which he is her go to person for everything. If she wants to go watch a movie, try out a new restaurant or even visit her sister, she immediately called him and asked him to go with her.

"No, I'm all yours for the day" he says flirtatiously, obviously trying to get a reaction out of her.

Tori playfully rolls her eyes and chooses to not address his comment. "Do you have anything you want to do today?"

Beck glances at his side mirror, trying to find the right way to word his suggestions. "I was actually thinking of just spending the day at home. Since we haven't had a chance to just hang out together, we can go there and just hang out, if you want. I mean, we can do something else if you're not comfortable with the idea" he adds, wanting to give her a way out if she's looking for it.

Nervously, Tori looks out the passenger window, trying to process his suggestion. As the cars whiz by them, she can't help but feel anxiety at the thought of returning to the home they shared together. It's been just over a year since she walked out of the house and she hasn't been back since. Whenever they spent time together, they met in neutral grounds. It was either in her home surrounded by their friends, or a random place that didn't hold any memories for them. Now, to go there and be alone with him...she's not sure she's ready for that.

Sensing her nerves, Beck reaches over and places his hand on her knee and gives it a little squeeze. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. You can choose the place" he says, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Tori places her hand on top of his and smiles. She turns in time to see the curves of his lips turn upward and at that moment, she decides that it's okay to take him up on his offer. What better way to see if she's ready to move forward than to revisit the home they'd build together?

"Let's go" she says.

He turns for a second to look at her. "Are you sure?" he asks as he returns his attention to the road.

Tori simply nods her head yes and takes a deep breath. She knows Beck won't try anything she's uncomfortable with and she does feel safe and at ease around him. However, going back to the place that holds both the happiest and worse memories is overwhelming and she just hopes she can handle it.

It takes just over twenty minutes for them to reach the house and as it comes into view, Tori starts panicking a bit and questioning whether this is a good idea after all. Beck drives the remaining yards up his driveway and there, he turns the key turning off the engine. He glaces at Tori and sees that she is looking in every direction but at the structure in front of her.

"Tor, I'm serious, we can-" he starts before she interrupts him by unbuckling her seat belt and opening the door.

"Let's go" she says and slowly closes the door. It takes Beck a few seconds to follow suit. From the car, he watches as she starts walking up the front door and for a moment, it feels like old times again. It's almost as if they have just finished running an errand and are coming home to relax. He finally gets out of the car and meets her by the front door. As he inserts the key into the hole, he looks up at her and gives her a reassuring smile. She smiles in return and nods her head. Slowly, Beck turns the key and the door knob and pushes the door open.

Beck takes a step aside and allows Tori to go inside first. He watches as she takes a few steps in and then stops. He walks in after her and, standing a few feet behind her, gently closes the door behind him. Once he turns back to look at her, he smiles as she starts moving her side from side to side, taking in every detail of the house as though she's never been inside it.

"It's exactly the same" she exclaims after about a minute. She slowly turns to look at him, a confused expression on her face. Beck nods his head. "I couldn't change it" he replies firmly.

"Why not?" she asks, her voice barely audible.

He looks intently into her eyes and says "you know why." Not awaiting a response, he takes a steps forward and walks a few feet past her.

Tori nods her head and continues looking around the house. She sees that he really hasn't changed anything about the house. As she walks a few feet forward, she sees a long table holding numerous picture frames she's seen before. She walks towards it and picks up a silver frame. It holds a picture of them on a hill. She is standing in front of him, his arms wrapped around her and his eyes are focusing on her as she's laughing at something, though she can't remember what. She does remember that Andre had taken the picture and she had urged him to take it again because she hadn't been ready but Beck had liked it so they kept it. She had the picture framed for his birthday a few years ago. She smiles and silently admits to herself that it is actually a nice picture.

From his spot over by the wall, Beck exclaims "that's one my favorites," referring to the picture.

She looks up to him. "I know" she says and places the frame back on the table. She looks at him once again and smiles. He starts walking towards the living room and she eventually follows. Once there, she sees he has claimed a spot on the couch and she goes over to sit down. Rather than sit next to him like she secretly wants to, Tori decides it is best to sit on the opposite side of the long couch, just to be safe.

Beck can't help but laugh as she settles into her seat. "A bit cliché, isn't? Sitting this far away from each other" he says which makes her laugh. Slowly, Beck begins inching closer to her and she shakes her head, trying hard not to laugh. Unfortunately, she can't keep herself from smiling at his playfulness. Once he's mere inches away, he says "I met you more than halfway here miss, think you can meet me the rest of the way."

Tori turns to face him, squints her eyes and shrugs. "I guess I can" she says and starts moving towards him.

They spent the next hour catching up and enjoying each others company. Tori fills Beck in on Trina's wedding plans and her parent's post-divorce life. He listens intently, wanting to know everything that has been going on in her life since their breakup.

"So Holly and Gary are actually dating now?" Beck asks incredulously.

"Yeah. I'm not really surprised though. I always figured my mom had a thing for him. Remember how they were acting during Trina's engagement dinner?" she asks him.

Beck nods his head, remembering exactly what she is talking about. Soon after Trina's engagement, Mrs. Vega organized a dinner and suggested Gary be invited, because "he is your father's partner after all" she had said. The day of the dinner, she fought her way to the chair next to his and throughout the night, they kept shooting glances at each other and "accidentally" brushing hands. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening, but no one dared mention it.

"How's your dad taking it?" he asks, wondering how Mr. Vega dealt with the betrayal of his friend.

"He asked to be transferred to another station and his supervisor said he'll see what he can do. He's still pretty upset about it. Understandably so" Tori says.

"You're right" Beck says, his voice trailing off.

"Are you alright?" Tori asks, noticing the shift of energy.

"Yeah. I just feel bad about what happened with Andre. Tor, I really didn't want you in the middle of this. Now you're missing his wedding because of me" he says.

"Hey," she starts, bringing her hand to his shoulder, "this isn't your fault. You told me not to bring it up and I didn't listen. I'm sure it'll blow over and he'll want to talk about it soon."

"I hope so. I can't believe he got mad at you over something that happened with me" he continues.

"Well, it was actually something else that made him mad at me" she says. Seeing his confused expression, she elaborates. "We were talking and I was trying to figure out what happened between you guys and, well...I called you my boyfriend and he got mad at me" she finishes, looking away from him as the word boyfriend escapes her mouth.

Beck sits back on his spot, shocked at her confession. "You did?" he asks, a spark of hope building within him. Tori looks back at him, nods and then down at her hands. She twirls her thumb in an effort to ease the discomfort she's now feeling.

"Well...Am I?" he asks.

Still not looking up, Tori smirks. "My boyfriend?" she retorts.

"Yeah, am I your boyfriend?" he replies.

She takes a minute to ponder the question. It's been a few months since she agreed to try and mend their relationship. Surely he's done everything in his power to make things right between them and she can't deny that he's put a lot of effort into gaining her trust back. Also, it's not like she hasn't thought about getting back together with him. In fact, every time she sees him, a big part of her is screaming to just get over the past and move forward. And it's not like she didn't just kiss him a few hours ago. So why not just call him her boyfriend and move on?

"I don't know" she replies, rejecting the thoughts swimming around in her mind. "I have to admit, I'm still hurt about what you did and kissing you earlier...made it confusing for me. We've made so much progress, I just want to keep taking things slowly and see what happens then" she continues.

Clearly disappointed, Beck says "I understand. I'll go at whatever pace you set Tor, but I want you to know I'm going to do whatever it takes to be your boyfriend again."

She smiles and moves closer to him, closing the small gap separating them. Against her better judgment, she rests her head on his shoulders and inhales when he places a kiss on the top of her head. This definitely feels like old times...and she likes it.


	6. Chapter 6

Rachel is standing over by the sweetheart table, watching as her now-husband walks around talking to their guests. She smiles as he animatedly flails his hands in conversation, captivating people around him and making them laugh in return. For the rest of her life, she can look forward to listening to his stories and going on wild adventures with him, and she wouldn't trade that for the world.

Seeing him surrounded by her family and closest friends overwhelms her. This is her husband, her family now. When they first started dating, all those years ago, she would have never thought they would end up here. She saw Andre as nothing more than a brief college fling, someone that could distract her from the heavy workload and home sickness. He was fun, silly...everything she needed in a distraction. Then all of a sudden, he became much more. As she takes a seat and looks around the reception space, Rachel thinks back on the day she realized she wanted Andre to be a more permanent part of her life.

_Rachel walks down the hall towards apartment 9F. From a distance she can hear loud music playing and gets excited to join the party. Her roommate's boyfriend invited her to come to his friend's party and, not wanting to stay in and study like she probably should, she decided to go. Besides, Andre agreed to meet her there and she couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend time with him. Their "relationship" has been on going for a few weeks now and she can't say she hates having someone around to go out for lunch with and have the occasional make out sessions. _

_Her roommate Clara jokes teases her about Andre being her boyfriend, but Rachel knows better. She spent her four high school years in a relationship that ended up being more trouble than it was worth. Now, she is in college. A single, college girl just looking to have some fun. She's not about to give up her new single-hood just yet. _

_As she enters the apartment, she is met with a bustling crowd of fellow college students. Some are engaged in conversation, enjoying the probably illegal beers in their hand. She recognizes a few faces from classes she's in and nods in acknowledgment. She looks around the apartment and smiles at its blatancy. This is exactly what she expected it to look like. More spacious than a door, but just as lacking in the furniture department. The two couches are the only furniture she spots besides the long beer pong table that has been set up in the middle of the room. The walls are decorated with posters ranging from The Doors to Tupac. The lights are dimmed and an obnoxious strobe light changes from red to blue to green in a corner. _

_Rachel starts walking around the crowded place in search of Andre. It's past 10:30 and he said he would be there by ten. She dodges the occasional drunk and is distracted for a few minutes by a couple arguing by the kitchen. _

"_Rachel" she hears someone yell behind her and turns her attention from the couple. She sees Tori waving at her just a few feet away and she starts walking towards her. _

"_Hi Tori" she says once she's finally reached her new friend. A few weeks ago, Andre invited Rachel to meet his best friend. She agreed and was fully prepared to endure a few hours of guy talk and inside jokes she didn't understand. To her surprise, and admittedly initial disappointment, she was introduced to a pretty brunette. While at first receptive of Tori, as she spent the next few hours with her and Andre, her discomfort subsided and she liked the girl. She was let in on their private jokes and wild high school antics. She had been relieved when Tori spoke of her boyfriend and how crazy she was about him. Ever since, both girls have began building a friendship that is independent to their relationships with Andre. _

"_When did you get here?" Tori asks her friend, trying to be heard over the music. _

"_Not too long ago. Maybe ten, fifteen minutes" Rachel replies, leaning closer towards Tori so as to not have to yell. _

_Tori nods her head and offers her already opened beer can to Rachel. Rachel shakes her head politely at her and watches as Tori shrugs her shoulders and takes a long sip of the liquid. She can't help but feel a little bad for her. Just a few days ago Tori's relationship with Beck ended due to distance and while Tori put up a strong front, Rachel knows she's devastated. You can't be so nonchalant after breaking up with someone you love as much as Tori loves Beck. The smiles and constant socializing and partying are surely methods of distractions to keep her mind off her ex boyfriend. _

"_Have you seen Andre?" Rachel asks Tori, hoping she can point her to him._

"_Yeah, he should be over by the radio, he's been playing DJ since we got here" Tori responds and begins swaying her head from side to side to the music. _

"_Okay, I'm going to go say hi, I'll be right back" Rachel tells her friend who waves her off and continues dancing and drinking. _

_It takes mere seconds to cross the room and there he is, exactly where Tori said he would be. Rachel stops for a moment and watches as he grabs hold of the Ipod and starts searching the library of songs, trying to find the next tune. He nods and as the current song starts fading out, he quickly presses play and an upbeat tempo fills the room and sends everyone into a cheering frenzy. Andre smirks at their reaction and turns to turn the volume up. _

_Impressed by his ability to entertain others, she walks over to him. _

"_I think you should start charging for your services" she says smiling at him. _

"_Hey," he says excitedly, stepping towards her and embracing her immediately._

"_Hey yourself. You make a good DJ" she compliments him once more. _

"_What can I say, I live to entertain" he replies, slightly bowing his head to stress his point. "What took you so long?" he asks her, turning the focus back to her. _

"_I was picking out what to wear" she says as she turns to look at the small crowd that has gathered in a corner to dance. _

"_Trying to look good for me I see" he says jokingly which makes her look back at him. Andre laughs at the slight blush on her cheeks._

"_No...hush" she replies, laughing. Sure it had taken an extra twenty minutes to set her hair just the right way, but it had nothing to do with him. At all._

"_Dance with me" Andre says suddenly, extending out his hand for her to take._

"_That's very demanding don't you think?" she asks teasingly but still puts her hand in his. _

"_I'm a demanding man when I know what I want" he responds as he leads her out to the floor where several more people have gathered to dance. _

"_Oh so you want me huh?" Rachel says and before she gets a response, Andre twirls her around and once she is facing him again, he pulls her closer so their faces are just a few centimeters apart. _

"_Absolutely" he says, his voice low as raspy, making Rachel unable to breathe evenly once the words reach her ear. Her eyes instantly glaze over with lust and she has an urge to bring their lips together, but she doesn't get the chance to because he's quickly spinning her once more and smiling at her surprised expression. _

_Despite the missed opportunity, she relishes in the slight intimacy they are finally having and, even though they are still far from establishing an exclusive relationship, they can both agree that his affirmation has made things a bit more serious. _

_Several hours pass in which they continue dancing, drink a few beers and talk to a few people. Several times throughout the night Andre holds her hand, something he's never done before, and she can't deny to liking it. It shows that while she's technically not his girlfriend, he isn't afraid to let people know they are together. _

_A few minutes after one, Rachel is talking to a girl who is in her biology class when Andre, who stepped away for a moment, approaches her. _

"_Hey, Tori is pretty drunk right now. I'm going to take her home, do you want me to walk you to your place?" he whispers in her ear so no one else would hear. _

"_No, I'm going to stay a little while longer. My roommate's here so I'll leave with her" Rachel replies, a little disappointed._

"_I'm sorry. I wish I could stay but she's taking the break up pretty hard and I want to be there for her" Andre says, hoping Rachel understands._

"_Don't apologize. I think it's amazing that you're there for your friend."_

"_I'll make it up to you, I promise" he says and just as she's about to reply, he leans forward and kisses her. The kiss is soft, quick but effective. As he steps back just a few seconds later, he smirks as she flutters her eyes open and a small smile forms on her lips. "I'll call you tomorrow" he says._

_Rachel nods her head and watches as he goes over to the other side of the room to collect Tori and both leave the party._

"Earth to Mrs. Harris" her husband says bringing her back to reality, his hands waving up and down in front of her face.

"Sorry, what?" she replies quickly.

"I said what are you doing?" he says laughing.

"Oh, nothing just soaking everything in. It's incredible isn't it?" she says, taking another moment to look around the room at her reception.

"It is. You're incredible" he says and walks closer towards her. Rachel smiles as her husband approaches her and wraps his arms around her waist.

"You're sweet" she replies and looks into his eyes. Andre places a peck on her lips.

"I love you" he says. The words warm her heart and just as she's about to say them back, the strong smell of alcohol fills her nostrils. She furrows her brows and before she can ask him how many drinks he's had, he tells her they should go cut the cake, steps away from her and starts walking towards the cake.

Rachel watches as he slightly stumbles slightly along the way. As much as she wants to question him about his drinking, a part of her tells her to let it go for now. Putting on her best smile, she follows him across the room where her guests are waiting.

**Author's Note: Next chapter will be bori-centric with a surprise guest we haven't heard from yet. Can you guess who that will be?**


	7. Chapter 7

The digital click on her dashboard informs her that it's fifteen minutes past seven, which gives her just fifteen minutes to drive the remaining two miles to the restaurant. Tori check through her side mirror to ensure that no cars are close and quickly switches lanes. Stepping down on the gas pedal, she urges herself to drive faster so as to make it on time.

It's Beck's 27th birthday and he has invited his family and closest friends to celebrate with him over dinner. For the last several hours, Tori has anxiously been counting down the hours for this dinner. It's the first time since their breakup over a year ago that she's going to see his family and undoubtedly, will receive the inevitable third degree from his mother about why their relationship ended. It's not like she can tell her that her son is a cheater, at least not on his birthday. Perhaps she won't even have to sit by her. Since she's running late, she will probably have to sit at the end of the table and avoid any uncomfortable conversations.

Ten minutes later, her phone rings and she reaches over to turn on the speaker function.

"Hello?" she answers as she sets the phone down on her lap and focuses on the road ahead, trying to get to the restaurant as quickly as possible.

"Tor, are you there yet?" comes Robbie's voice.

"No, I'm about ten minutes away. Where are you?" she asks, a bit relieved that she is not the only person running late.

"I took a wrong turn and am trying to get back on a main road. Will you tell Beck I'm going to be a bit late. I tried calling his phone but he didn't answer" Robbie replies in frustration.

"Sure, I'll let him know. See you there" Tori says. As he hangs up and the line goes dead, she lets out a deep sigh. She hopes this night goes smoothly. Things between her and Beck have been going great since Andre's wedding two weeks prior. They have spent nearly every day together, either just spending time at his house (which for Tori is beginning to feel like home once again), or going out to eat or to the movies. She went along with him to work functions and has spent hours watching him working on set. They are slowly getting back to the restoring their relationship and it would be a shame to have the painful memories brought up again by his family who may have questions.

Determined to not let this spoil the evening, Tori shakes the thought out of her mind and drives the remaining distance to her destination.

A little over ten minutes later, she pulls up to the restaurant and waits for the valet to take her keys and give her the ticket. She takes a moment before entering the restaurant to smooth down her dress and check that her hair isn't unruly. She takes a deep breath and begins walking through the entrance door.

She is soon emerged by the darkness of the place which is illuminated by an array of lights and three large chandeliers in the center. He sweet aroma of flowers instantly fills her nostrils and, from where she stands, she can see bouquets upon bouquets of white and red roses. The romanticism of the place eases her anxiety and makes her excited to see Beck. She takes a few steps towards the hostess' podium. It takes a few seconds for the hostess to show up and when she does, Tori is caught off guard.

Standing just a foot or two away from her is a short, petite girl. The dim lights reflect perfectly against her olive skin and her bright red hair is nearly pulled back in a pony tail, held by a big, black bow.

"Cat?" Tori says, her eyes wide with shock.

Cat looks up, finally noticing Tori and her mouth drops open. "Tori! Oh my gosh, Tori how are you?" the girl asks excitedly, and a bit too loud.

"I'm great. I can't believe this, I haven't seen you in years. How are you?" Tori asks, walking over to her friend from high school and throwing her arms around her. Immediately, Cat reciprocates and the two girls embrace each other. After a few seconds, they let go and smile broadly.

"I'm great. This is so amazing, look at you," exclaims Cat as she looks at Tori up and down, "you look so pretty."

"Aw, thank you Cat. I can't believe this, it's been so long. Has Beck seen you? He should be here" Tori replies.

"He is? I just started my shift so I probably missed him. You guys are still together, I knew you would make it" Cat says which makes Tori's smile falter a bit.

"We're not exactly "together" together. We're sort of working it out, it's a long story" she says.

"Oh...Well, I'm sure you guys will be okay. You were always perfect for each other."

Tori smiles and notices that there is a small line beginning to fall behind her. She remembers that she is in a restaurant and already running fairly late to dinner. "I should probably go find my seat, but please come find us when you can. It's Beck's birthday and I'm sure he would be so happy to see you" Tori exclaims.

"Okay, I'll definitely stop by your table" Cat replies and quickly looks up Beck's table and points Tori towards it.

Once she walks away from her friend, it take Tori mere seconds to spot Beck and his party. The long table is in an isolated corner, small flower centerpieces and candles fill the center of it and two lamps are hanging above it. She spots Beck sitting on a chair in the center, his mother on his left side and an empty chair on his right. She recognizes a few people, Parker and Michael among them and a few of his co-workers.

She slowly makes her way to the table and before she can make it all the way, Beck raises his head and makes eye contact with her. She watches as his smile widens and he stands up from his chair. Everyone else turns their head to her direction and suddenly, she feels herself blush. She takes the remaining few steps and politely greets everyone there. She receives a few waves or head nods from most people, but it's Beck's mother who makes a bigger spectacle of her arrival.

"Tori, sweetheart, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up. Better late than never though, right?" she exclaims as Tori carefully makes her way to the empty chair next to Beck.

"I'm really sorry, I always underestimate L.A traffic" she responds.

Beck smiles as she takes a seat and he follows suit. "You look beautiful" he leans over and whispers in her ear. Tori turns to face him and smiles.

"That's what Beck was telling us," his mother continues, interrupting the intimate moment shared between them, "he told us you wouldn't miss this."

"Well he was right. I told him I would come" Tori replies.

"Oh, well you know people don't always keep their word" his mother says which makes Tori look back at Beck. He simply shakes his head and mouths "ignore her" to which Tori quickly nods. As much as she tries, Tori can never quite understand Beck's mother. Even during the five years they were together, she could never figure out if the lady liked her or just put up with her for her son's sake. Tori was glad for the civility, though the underhand jabs sometimes got to her.

"Anyway," Beck quickly jumps in to change the subject, "I was just telling Parker here that the show is looking for a new writer and since he's been trying to break into the business, I can put in a good word with the producer."

"That's fantastic" Tori exclaims, genuinely happy for her friend. For a few years now, Parker has been sending scripts out to production companies in the hopes of getting hired. He will undoubtedly be grateful for the opportunity and can finally share his talent with others.

"It would be great. I always have scripts on hand if they want to read my work" Parker chimes in, excited for the discussion. As the conversation continues and several people put in their two cents about the art of writing and how difficult it is to be in the business, Beck slow grabs a hold of Tori's hand under the table and slowly caresses the back of it with the pad of his thumb. She smiles at him and playfully squeezes his hand.

"Thank you for being here" he says loud enough for her to hear.

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything. Happy birthday" she replies and turns to face him. She places a quick kiss on his cheek and then brings her other hand to his face to wipe away the excess lip gloss from his cheek.

"Oh, Robbie told me to tell you he's going to be a bit late. He took a wrong turn somewhere" Tori tells him and Beck simply nods his head. The two turn their attention back to the other members of the party and they listen as his mother goes on about how proud she is of Beck and how much he has changed her life.

"You are such an amazing man and I could not be happier for all your accomplishments. I couldn't have asked for a better son and I am just glad that you are happy and found someone to share your life with" she finishes as a few tears roll down her face. Beck hesitantly lets go of Tori's hand and hugs his mother. Tori smiles at the sweet moment between mother and son. However, hearing his mother talk about her being someone he can share his life with makes her feel a bit unsettled again. Sure they have been back on good terms and perhaps their relationship is back to where it used to be, but it's not something they have discussed and surely before she gets that title back, they should figure out what's going on between them.

Almost as though he has heard her thoughts, Beck turns back to look at her and says "we can talk about that some time" and once again grabs hold of her hand. She nods and decides to let it go and not worry so much about it right now. They'll have the opportunity to sit down and define their relationship some other time.

Shortly after, as they beginning placing their dinner orders, Robbie walks towards the table, his face pale and his eyes wide.

"Robbie, you made it" says Tori who notices him first. She quickly realizes that something is off with her friend and tugs at Beck's sleeve to make him see.

"What's going on Rob?" Beck asks once he's noticed his friend's off behavior.

"She...here...there" Robbie stammers and points towards the entrance of the restaurant. Everyone at the table turns to the direction he is pointing, curiously wanting to see what it is that has the young man so shaken up.

"What's he talking about?" Beck's mother asks loudly, her view obstructed by waiters walking around.

"Who's here?" Beck asks, also unable to spot who his friend is talking about.

"You mean Cat?" starts Tori, looking up at her friend. Robbie nods his head and looks back towards the entrance.

"Wait, Cat's here? Cat Valentine?" Beck asks bewildered.

"Yeah, she's the hostess. I told her to stop by later to surprise you" Tori replies, unsure of why Robbie is reacting the way he is about having seen Cat.

"Shit" Beck whispers and he then urges Robbie to sit down. Slowly, his friend obliges but he can not keep his attention on anything but the hostess table where he hopes he can spot the red haired girl once again.

"What's going on?" Tori whispers to him, her eyes never leaving Robbie.

Beck leans over to her and quietly informs her that Robbie and Cat dated and she walked out on him.

Stunned, Tori brings her hands up to her mouth and shakes her head. "I had no idea" she finally says and can see why her friend is reacting as he is. She suddenly feels guilty for inviting Cat to say hello.

"Did you see you Rob?" Beck asks.

"Yes, she saw me and ran the other way. Damn it I haven't seen her since she walked out and now she runs away as if I'm the one who screwed up. Well, she owes me an explanation" Robbie demands angrily.

"This might not be the best place for that" Parker quickly adds, hoping to calm down the man sitting next to him.

"Like hell it isn't" Robbie replies and turns his attention to Beck for the first time. "Happy birthday by the way."

Beck smirks, amused by how appropriate Robbie manages to be despite his erratic state. "Thanks buddy" he replies.

As an awkwardness befalls the table, their waiter comes over and takes Robbie's order. Tori takes the chance to look around the restaurant and sees if she spots Cat, but she doesn't. The bright red hair is nowhere to be seen.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back" she announces, mostly to Beck, and rises from the table towards the ladies' room. If she's learned anything in all the years of having female friends, it's that if you want to avoid someone, specifically a boy, the bathroom is the place to go.

She quickly spots the white swinging doors and once she enters the small room, a blast of light engulfs her and it takes her eyes a few seconds to adjust to it. As soon as she can see clearly again, she looks around the room and sees a few women primping themselves by the mirror. One of them kept shifting her weight from foot to foot as her high stilettos clearly pinched her toes.

"Cat?" Tori calls out, causing the women to turn their attention to her. Ignoring their curious looks, Tori walks further back calling out her friend's name.

After about a minute, one of the stall doors opens and out comes out Cat Valentine. Her black uniform is a contradicting contrast against her hair and bright pink lipstick. Her subtle make up is now smudged and her mascara is running down her face along with a few tears.

"Aw Cat, come here" Tori says as she wraps her arms around her friend to comfort her. Regardless of how much time has passed since they last saw each other, Tori still feels overprotected over the younger girl. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea about you and Robbie. I would have warned you if I did" she continues, feeling horrible for not being able to give her a heads up.

Cat takes a step back and looks down to the floor. "It's not your fault Tori. You guys didn't know and I didn't know he would be here. I'm sorry if I ruined your night or Beck's night."

Tori shakes her head from side to side and raises her hands up to stop her. "You haven't ruined anything."

Cat sighs heavily and throws her head back. "I can't believe this is happening. I haven't seen him since...well...it's been a while. I didn't think I'd run into him like this. Is he mad at me?" she asks, looking back down at Tori.

"He's not happy" she replies softly, not wanting to further upset her friend.

"I can't blame him."

"Cat, what happened between you guys?" Tori asks.

"He didn't tell you?"

"Honestly, I had no idea you guys were even together until just now. I think Beck knows, but he's never told me" Tori says.

"We started dating after freshman year and were together for a while...three years or so. It started off as a fling you know? Just a way to pass the summer before going back to school, but when it was time to go back...it was hard to let go. I don't know why we never told anyone, but we eventually moved in together and it was pretty serious. It was good, until I came home one day and found this ring...this tiny diamond ring hidden in the closet and I freaked out."

"He proposed?" Tori asks, shocked at how serious and secretive this relationship was. How had she not known? She did go home every summer and holidays and spent time with both of them. How could she not have noticed? As she asks herself the questions, however, she knows how. She was too busy being preoccupied with her relationship (or break up) with Beck to care about anyone but herself. She couldn't see what was right in front of her because she was too busy with her own life.

"No! I was twenty-one, there was no way I could be engaged, no matter how much I cared for him. But I knew, that if I gave him the chance to ask I wouldn't be able to say no to him. I didn't want to disappoint him...so I left. I packed up some of my things and just never looked back."

"Oh Cat" is all Tori can say.

"I know I'm a horrible person and I regret just walking out on him like that, but Tori..." she trails off, unable to find a justification for her actions. She can come up with some lame excuse about how it her decision ultimately worked out in her favor, but as she looks around, she can't say that it did. Despite all the dreams she had during her youth, she ended up as a struggling actress, having to play hostess at a restaurant to pay her bills.

"You don't owe me any explanations and I'm not judging you okay? Trust me, we've all made mistakes" Tori says.

Cat gives her friend a small smile and nods her head. She glances over by the mirror where only one lady remains adjusting her make up. She is, not so subtly, eavesdropping on their conversation. Once she sees Cat looking at her, she closes her compact and heads out.

"I should get back to work" Cat says hesitantly.

"Robbie's looking for you" Tori informs her. If she couldn't give her a heads up before, she will now.

"Can you try and talk to him? I can't have a scene here, I will lose my job. Tell him if he wants to speak to me, I will give him my number before he leaves and he can call."

"Okay, I'll tell him" Tori assures her. Cat nods thankfully and slowly walks out of the bathroom.

Tori looks after her friend until the door stops swinging. She walks towards the large mirror the ladies were looking in to adjust her own make up. To think, her biggest worry was making it on time. Now, she has to try and contain Robbie all night and pray that Beck's birthday isn't ruined. As she swipes the gloss one last time over her lips, she straightens her posture and mentally prepares herself for what could be a difficult night.

She walks back out to the restaurant and towards the long table in the corner. Before retaking her seat, she stops in front of Robbie and leans over to whisper Cat's instructions in his ear. She notices his shoulders stiffen at first, but then he submits and nods his head in agreement. Tori takes a second to look her friend in the eyes and offer him a smile, which he slowly returns. Once she is sure that Robbie will wait until the end of the night to confront Cat, she straightens up and walks to reclaim her seat next to Beck.

"Everything okay?" he asks as soon as she sits.

"Everything is fine" she tells him and reaches down to grab his hand. Seeing the uncertainty on his face, she squeezes his hand once again and smiles. "Relax birthday boy, let's just have fun" she says and yet again leans over and kisses his cheek.

Soon after, the waiter brings around their dishes and the group begin digging in. While Tori catches Robbie looking towards the entrance a few times, she is determined to make this night about Beck and enjoy being able to celebrate another birthday with him, especially since the last one was not so great between them.

"You should try this, you'll like it" he turns to tell her and before she can ask to taste it, Beck has cut up a small piece of his pasta dish and brings it up to her mouth. Feeling a bit giddy at the fact that he is feeding her, she bites down on his fork and tastes his dish.

"So good" she happily exclaims once she's swallowed it. He nods his head and for the remainder of dinner, he continued feeding her food off his plate and taking some off of hers.

The night dwindles and the small group gets ready to go.

"Well sweetie, I'm going to get going. An old lady like me shouldn't be out this late at night. Happy birthday" Beck's mother says as she rises from her seat next to him. "Tori, it was very nice seeing you" she continues. Tori tries her best to display a genuine smile and watches as the older woman hugs her son, bids farewell to everyone else and walks towards the restaurant.

"We should get going as well" says Parker as he, Michael and a few of Beck's co-workers rise. Beck stands up from his chair and shakes hands with the lot of them, thanking them for coming.

After several minutes, the only people left are Tori, Beck and Robbie who is lazily picking at a few morsels on his plate.

"So...Robbie" Tori says trying to get her friend's attention. He slowly looks up at her and then at Beck.

"I know what you're going to say, but it's harder to go up there than I thought" he exclaims and looks back down at his plate.

"You'll regret not doing it" Beck replies, trying to talk some sense into his friend. "You've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

Robbie sighs and scoffs loudly. "I kept picturing what it would be like, running into her again. I had a whole speech ready to tell her off...and now, I can't say any of those things."

"Maybe that's a good thing. You can both sit down and actually talk about what happened" Tori chimes in.

"Yeah, I guess" Robbie replies. After playing with his food a bit longer, he finally puts down his fork and stands up from his chair. "I'll see you guys around" he says and slowly begins walking towards the entrance. His friends watch as his steps falter and his shoulders rise and fall abruptly. After what seems like an eternity, but is just a few seconds, they see him reach the spot where Cat is standing.

They both awkwardly avoid eye contact and after an even more awkward and forced greeting, Cat hands him a piece of paper which he grabs before nodding his head and walking out of the restaurant.

As the doors close behind Robbie, Tori lets out a sigh of relief and sits back. She suddenly feels Beck's arm drape across her shoulder and she leans her head against it.

"Did you have a good birthday?" she asks him and smiles when he nods. "Good" she says.

"Thanks again for coming" he says.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry I didn't get you a present, but-" she says before he interrupts her.

"I don't need a present. Just you being here is enough" he replies, pulling her closer to him.

"I'm glad, but as I was saying, I didn't get you a present because I thought..." her voice starts trailing off and she starts fiddling with her thumbs. Beck looks down curiously, awaiting the remainder of her comment. "You thought..?" he asks.

"I thought that maybe, I could, um...come back home...with you" she finally says, her voice barely audible.

Taken aback, Beck sits back a bit and his mouth hangs open for a bit. Tori slowly raises her head to look at him and laughs at his reaction.

"Really Tor?" he is finally able to articulate.

"Really. Just for tonight and maybe, if it goes alright, we can take it from there" she says, quickly adding that she isn't ready to move back in indefinitely _just _yet.

"Oh, okay" he says. She notices the slight hint of disappointment in his voice but he quickly recovers and puts a big smile on.

"It's the best birthday gift I've gotten in a long time" he says.

Tori looks into his eyes and, seeing how happy he truly is at the moment, she leans closer to him and presses her lips onto his. For just a minute, the two forget their surrounding and are wrapped up in the intimacy of a moment they have been waiting for since their last kiss the day of Andre's wedding.

"Happy birthday" she whispers once she pulls away. Beck smiles and places one quick peck on her lips before helping her up from her chair and leading her away from the table, towards the exit.

Before they leave, Tori walks over to where Cat is to bid farewell to her friend. She grabs a small piece of paper and a pen and jots down her number. "Please call me" she pleads the younger woman, who nods and embraces her friend for the last time that night. Once the girls pull away, Beck walks over to Cat. "It's really great to see you again" he says and hugs her as well.

Once the three of them say their good byes, Tori walks over to the valet and hands him her ticket.

"Don't you have a ticket?" she asks Beck once she notices that he hasn't given one to the valet.

"No, I didn't drive here" he says, a smirk appearing on his face.

"How exactly did you expect to get home then?" she asks.

"Well, not to say that I expected you coming home with me, but I sure hoped you would" he replied as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Tori narrows her eyes and shakes her head from side to side. "You, Beck Oliver, are very sneaky" she says.

He shrugs his shoulders innocently and winks at her. Tori laughs and a few seconds later, the valet pulls up with her car. Once he hands her the keys, Tori turns to Beck and holds them up for him. "Take me home?" she asks.

He reaches over to grab the keys from her and as he does, he leans down and kisses her once more. Hearing her call his place (their place) home once again, is everything he's been waiting for since the day she left.

"Gladly" he replies and walks over to hold the door open for her.


	8. Chapter 8

Tori holds her phone, reading and re-reading the message several times, unsure of how to answer. "Can we talk?" it said. Three simple words that would otherwise be insignificant if they weren't coming from Andre. Her mind is sent on a whirl as she over thinks of the multiple directions their conversation can go in. It has been close to two weeks since his wedding and their unfortunate falling out, if that was even what it was.

She turns her head and focuses on the sleeping form next to her. His hair lays messily over his face, scattered over the pillow, and his tanned arms pokes out from under the covers. She watches as his body rises and falls with each breath he takes. The corners of her mouth curl up as and is is mesmerized by him and how serene he looks. Having spent nearly every day with Beck since the incident with Andre, she's nearly forgotten the reason Andre is mad at her.

Reluctantly, Tori pulls the covers off her body and gets out of bed, so as to not disturb Beck. As she walks towards the door, the wooden floor creaks beneath her feet and she turns to make sure he is still asleep. Once outside the bedroom, Tori walks down the few steps to the first level and heads towards the living room. She plops down on the couch and slowly types "S-u-r-e" in reply to Andre's message. Less than two minutes later, her phone screen lights up and her heart stops. "Incoming call: Andre Harris" it reads. It rings once, twice...a third time. Tori takes a deep breath and answers.

"Hi" she answers, her voice quivering, betraying her need to sound as normal as possible.

"Hello" Andre answers. His voice, unlike hers, sounds collected and as casual as ever. If she didn't know any better, she would think everything between them is fine. Unfortunately for her, she does know better. Having known Andre for nearly a decade, she knows that conflicts involving him are not so easily resolved. There is usually a period of "non-speak" as he refers to them followed by a conversation that isn't always the most pleasant. Figuring that their non-speak period is over, Tori prepares herself for anything he might say to her.

"How are you?" he asks.

"I'm alright. How was the honeymoon?" she replies.

"It was great. Tropical weather, nice beaches, amazing food...the works" he answers.

Despite her nerves, Tori smiles at the choppiness of his answers and knows that he is in fact just as nervous as she is.

"I'm glad you and Rachel enjoyed yourselves" she says.

"Look Tori, I didn't call for us to make small talk. I've been thinking a lot about what happened the day of the wedding and I want to apologize for turning on you the way I did. Things should have gone down differently, but you know I get a little crazy after a few drinks" he says, a nervous laugh following his speech.

"Andre..." Tori starts but pauses for a moment. She can laugh along with Andre and put the entire situation behind them or she can try and get to the bottom of what actually happened that made him so upset at her. Surely it wasn't just the fact that he had one too many shots. She's seen him drunk before and he's never acted as cruel as he did the day of his wedding.

As if he sensed her uncertainty, Andre started again before she could continue. "I understand that you're still upset about what I said to you, but I want you to know that I don't think you're stupid. I was just frustrated with the situation. As your best friend, it's hard to see you get hurt by someone so many times and then give them another opportunity to do it again."

"Andre," Tori starts again, "I understand why you would be frustrated. Trust me, sometimes I ask myself why I keep going back. I know you can't always support the decisions I make, but it would mean so much to me if you just trust that I know what I'm doing. You know I value your opinion more than any one else's and I always take what you say into consideration. I don't know what happened between you and Beck and since neither one of you will tell me, I have to go with what I feel and I really do think I'm doing the right thing Andre."

"So you're getting back together with him?" Andre asks.

"We're taking things slow right now" Tori says, having quickly decided that it's best not to tell him that she's in Beck's house now.

Andre sighs loudly and Tori knows that he's not completely happy with her decision to forgive Beck. "I know you want me to be happy about it Tor, but I'm not" he replies.

Tori nods her head and sits straight on the couch. "I know" she answers as she folds her legs under her.

"I just don't trust him to not hurt you" Andre continues, causing Tori to smile at his over- protectiveness. "I know" she says once again.

"I guess I have to accept your decision and follow your lead on this one. But as your best friend, I want you to know that if he hurts you again, in any way, I will kill him." Tori laughs and feels herself take a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Taking his last comment as a good sign that he is no longer upset with her, Tori asks, "Are we okay then?" She holds her breathe in anticipation of his answer.

"Yeah, I think we're fine" he quickly inputs and for the first time in two weeks, they are both at ease.

"Great, now tell me more about the honeymoon" she inquires and for the next half hour, he indulges her in stories about how he spent his first week as a married man.

Once her conversation with Andre ended, Tori remained on the couch and thought about the events that have taken place within the last two weeks. Not only are her best friends married now, she's also acknowledge her desire to fix her relationship with Beck. Now that she's managed to make amends with Andre, the guilt she's been feeling about being with Beck is no longer there. She wonders if things will be easier now. With her friendships now in order, she can focus on continuing to take things slowly with Beck and begin trusting him again. She can also keep going on auditions, land a role and establish her career as an actress.

After a few more minutes, Tori grabs her phone and starts her way back to the bedroom. On her way there, she takes the time to look at the picture frames she passes. So many of them are pictures of her and Beck together. There are pictures of them in high school, with her family on Christmas morning and her 23rd birthday party among others. Each frame holds a special memory for her that makes her hopeful for their future together, makes her want to fight for it even more.

Tori slowly gets up from the couch and drags herself towards the bedroom. Once she turns the knob, she slowly tip toes across the creaky floor, trying to avoid making any noise that might awake Beck. However, every step seems to get louder than the next and she internally groans.

"I thought you left" she hears the voice coming from the bed and just as she turns, the light of Beck's lamp comes on. Once her eyes are focused on him, she tilts her head slightly to the side.

"Why would you think that?" she asks curiously.

Beck rubs his eye in an effort to adjust them to the brightness in the room. After a few short seconds of silence, he reaches towards his bedside table to get his phone. Tori watches as he grabs a hold of the device and presses a button. The light on the small screen further illuminate his features and she waits patiently for his reply.

"It's almost three in the morning. When I didn't see you in bed I just assumed you decided to go back home."

For an unexplainable reason, a smirk grows on her face and she starts walking towards the bed to reclaim her empty side. She pulls the cover back a bit and lays down, scooting over close to his upright body, her arms draping across his bare waist.

"Did you panic a bit?" she asks playfully. Beck rolls his eyes and turns his head which causes her to laugh and pull his body closer to her.

"You did didn't you?" she pries on, wanting to hear him admit it.

"I didn't panic" he says and turns back to face her. As convincing as he tried to sound, his smile gave the truth away and she knows that, even for a second, his heart stopped at her absence.

Tori props up on the bed and kisses his cheek. "I wouldn't just leave" she assures him, "but it's nice that you would care if I did."

Beck grabs a hold of her hands and brings them up to his lips. Slowly, he kisses her knuckles and intertwines their fingers together. "I don't want to lose you Tor. I've made a lot of mistakes before and I was stupid, but spending all this time with you recently...I know how lucky I am that you're giving me this chance. I'm not going to mess up again, I promise" he says, his eyes focused solely on hers.

Tori looks down from his eyes to their hands. Her heart jumps slightly and she immediately feels a calm she hasn't felt in a long time. Being able to share an intimate moment with Beck makes her happy and she forgets about all the horrible things that happened during their relationship, even if just for a moment. "I believe you" she says.

Beck nods his head, grateful that she trusts him enough with her heart to accept his promise. He leans in and places a quick kiss on her lips and then her forehead. "I love you Tori" he says.

Taken aback, Tori stares at him, mouth agape. This is the first time he has said those words since their break up and for some reason she hadn't anticipated him saying them anytime soon. Of course she knew that they still loved each other, hell even after everything he's put her through she couldn't deny that her feelings for him hadn't changed. However, actually verbalizing her feelings went against the "taking it slow" policy they decided to take.

"You don't have to say it back" he quickly added which makes her laugh because it's such a cliché.

"Let's just go back to bed" she replies before kissing him once more. Beck returns the smile and both sink further back into bed, slowly drifting off.


	9. Chapter 9

Robbie waits in his car, tapping his finger against the steering wheel. He bops his head steadily to the rhythm of the music blasting from his car stereo. Watching the cars speed past him, he continuously glances between the entrance of the restaurant and the clock on the dashboard. Still ten minutes before she is let off her shift, and perhaps a few more until she emerges from the grand oak doors of the fancy eatery. He reaches over to the radio and changes the station a few times until finally stopping when he hears a strong bass guitar and melodic singing.

Despite the heavy pit forming in his stomach, he appears at ease, almost too calm for the situation. As the song gains momentum, Robbie reaches over to the radio and raises the volume even more. Engrossed in the fast beating drums, he wonders if he's made the right choice in agreeing to meet her today. Though he's spent the last several years wanting to face her for walking out on him, part of him has found some sort of closure. This usually came after his fourth or fifth drink, but he's come to accept the way things ended.

He often found himself looking back at their time together and thinking about whether they were actually happy, or if he was the only one content with what they had. Perhaps he has been blinded by his own happiness to see her lack of it. Surely he couldn't have been that oblivious though. He had, after all, purchased a ring to solidify whatever it was they had.

Had she been happy though, she would have stayed.

The thought alone always sent him on a downward spiral in which he would sulk in bitterness and anger at what could have been. It's not easy to forget someone you've loved for years, someone you saw yourself spending the rest of your life with. If she had bothered giving her an explanation for her departure, he probably would have been able to cope with it and moved on.

Being brought back from his trance by the loud screeches of an unknown vocalist, Robbie scrunches up his face and changes the station. He glances over to the restaurant once more and sees a wave of people exiting. A few girls stand by the valet podium, happily chatting away. Their hand gestures a bit too animated and for a second, Robbie can't look away from them. They are the epitome of what a California girl is supposed to look like. Evenly tanned skin, long wavy hair, bright smiles and small skirts. They are beautiful and a tad too cliché.

Watching the way they throw their heads back as they laugh reminds Robbie why he fell in love with Cat in the first place. The brightness of her hair, so unlike the rest of the girls in Hollywood Arts, made her stand out. The way her laugh captured everyone's attention always amused him and he couldn't help but laugh whenever he heard it. His favorite thing about her was her voice. It was soft and sweet and captivating. When she spoke to him, he felt like the only person in the room, even if she said something silly that didn't make sense.

As flashbacks of their younger years flowed through his mind, he failed to notice her walking towards his car. She stands outside the passenger door and knocks on the window. Startled, Robbie shifts his attention towards her and is a sudden ball of mess as she pulls open to door. Slowly, she sinks down into the seat and gives him a small smile. Robbie watches as she pulls on the seat belt and buckles it in a swift motion, even before he can respond to her presence.

"Hi Robbie" she starts off. Her big brown eyes focus solely on him and her smile has not yet dwindled. Unlike him, she seems genuinely happy to see him as opposed to nervous, which he had hoped she was. Her being nervous would have given him the upper hand, allowed him to be the calm one. "It's really nice to see you" she continues.

Robbie nods his head and shifts his eyes to look at the steering wheel. "Yeah, you too" he responds before turning the key to start the car. During their brief phone conversation the day after Beck's birthday, they had agreed to discuss things at a local diner, not too far from the restaurant.

The ten minute drive is quiet, neither sure of how to break the tension building up between them. As he pulls up to a parking spot a few yards from the diner, Robbie dares to look at her once again and is met by yet another smile. He knows she is just as nervous as he is but is better at putting up a front. He unbuckles his seat belt and steps out of the car before she gets a chance to speak. Closing the door behind him, he takes a long breath and waits for her to exit the vehicle. Once she does, they start walking into the diner, he walks a few steps ahead of her, trying to figure out how to start-up a conversation.

As he is about to pull open the front door, he hears her call out his name. He turns to see if he might have misheard but sees her a few feet away, her head down and her feet shuffling about. "Yes?" he asks, curious about what is going on.

Cat exhales deeply and slowly brings her head up to look at him. "If you are uncomfortable, you don't have to do it" she says.

Robbie narrows his eyes and scoffs at her comment. Why should he be the one uncomfortable or the one who backs out of getting an explanation? If anything, he is justified in arranging the meeting. "I think I deserve an explanation, doesn't matter how comfortable or uncomfortable I am" he says and turns back to open the door.

Cat watches from her spot as he walks past the glass doors, his posture upright and head held high. As she starts walking to catch up to him, she can't help but smile at how confident he appears. She can instantly see the growth in his character and is happy that he's learned his worth. Her smile quickly falters as she thinks about his need for an explanation. What can she possibly say to him to make what he did okay? Sorry I walked out on you, but I didn't love you enough to marry you? Sure, that will go over well.

A waitress comes up to them and shows them to an empty booth towards the back of the restaurant. Once seated, the grab the menus from her hand and start shuffling through the laminated pages. Having been to this place several times, Cat already knows what she wants, but looks through the menu as a means for distraction. The longer she has to think of the right words to say, the better. After several more minutes of silence, the waitress returns and takes their orders.

Once she takes the menus off the table, she walks away from them. From her peripheral vision, Cat notices Robbie turning to face her and before he can speak, she says "you'll really like the Swiss burger, it's really good."

"Yeah, I'm sure it is" he replies, not amused by her small talk.

"I'll let you taste some of my baked ziti, they add this secret spice that make-" she continues but is interrupted by his raised hand.

"Look, I know what you're trying to do but I didn't come here for small talk."

Cat's mouth fell slightly open and her eyes widened. She hadn't expected he be so direct, not so quickly anyway. She had anticipated the conversation start during or towards the end of their meal. "Oh" is all she can muster to say.

"I just want to know what made you walk out on me."

Cat takes a minute to gather her thoughts before beginning to explain anything to him. She looks around the semi-empty diner and sees a few waitresses placing down plates on the tables of hungry clients. An older man sat alone, reading the paper towards the front of the place and it reminded Cat of the many times she's spent sitting alone in this very restaurant minutes after her shift ended. She would think about her life and what an unexpected turn it has taken. She had so many aspirations to be a singer when she was in high school and for whatever reason, none of her dreams came true. Now she was just a struggling hostess, spending most of her money on recording a demo to try to make something of herself.

"I, um...I found the ring" Cat starts and as she turns back to look at Robbie, she notices the shock on his face. "You were out and I was cleaning...I freaked out" she continues.

"The ring" is all he can say. Robbie closes his eyes and rubs his forehead.

"It was beautiful Robbie, exactly what I would have liked. But we were so young and I couldn't figure out how to tell you that without hurting you" she replies.

"So...you walked out instead?" he says, bitterness resurfacing once again. Cat purses her lips and knows there is no way he could understand her reason. Frankly, it took her a long time to prove what she did, but ultimately it was the right decision. Even if he didn't realize it now, one day he'll hopefully be okay with how things turned out and realize that she saved them from what would have been a huge mistake.

"I did love you, but I couldn't make that commitment to you."

"You should have just said that" he urges on, not willing to give in to her explanation. He could have handled the rejection, he truly would have been okay. But to come home and find her gone, he couldn't handle that.

"How exactly do you tell someone you love that you're not ready for that step? Gosh Robbie, you bought the ring. I couldn't...I didn't have it in me to say no."

"But you did say no Cat, you had it in you" he replies. The harshness, and frankness of his words took her by surprise and she couldn't reply. Nothing she could say to him would make it better and no matter how many times she apologizes, she knows he won't forgive her.

"You have every reason to hate me" she replies and as he's about to answer, the waitress is back with their food. Cat is thankful for the brief distraction.

"Enjoy guys" the waitress says before leaving once more.

Cat grabs a fork and quickly digs into her pasta dish. As the baked ziti commands her taste buds, she reluctantly looks up at Robbie and sees that he has not touched his food.

"I don't hate you" he says quietly, his gaze leaving her for a moment. Cat sets her fork down, curious about where he is going with this. "I understand why you felt pressured to leave...I just wished you would have been honest with me. I never lied to you...ever" he finishes and looks back at her.

Cat nods her head in agreement. "I know you didn't" she says, "I regret leaving every single day."

Robbie looks down and picks up a fry from his plate. He pops it in his mouth and as he chews it, he can see the honesty in her eyes. For years, he's only thought about how her decision affected his life. Not once did he think about what it might have done to her. Not that he was forgiving her actions so quickly, but looking at her across the table, he can tell that some part of her does in fact feel bad about it. If he can't get the full closure he's been looking for, knowing that she does regret it makes it a little easier for him to start moving forward.

"So...how have you been?" he asks while picking up another french fry. Cat's lips curl upwards and she picks up her fork once again, ready to try to mend things with him.

On the other side of town, Beck stands in front of a red door, anxiously awaiting a response. After ringing the doorbell several more times, Beck can hear faint footsteps from within the house. Preparing to have the door slammed in his face once it opens, he goes over his talking points and tries to limit them to five seconds. As thoughts flow through his mind, it's hard to say everything he wants to say in that limited amount of time. He initially had no intention of even coming here, but after hearing Tori tell him about her "make up" with André, she asked him to try to fix things, if only so they could all spend time together and not have it be completely awkward.

After a minute or so, Beck sees the doorknob turning from the inside and the door opening. His anxiety decreases as he sees Rachel standing there, a bright pink apron wrapped around her waist and a wooden spatula in her right hand.

"Beck! Hi, how are you?" she asks excitedly, pulling the door ajar. Beck smiles and leans forward to hug his friend.

"I'm good, are you busy?" he asks, motioning towards the cooking utensil.

"No no, just baking a cake for Parker. He says he misses my coconut cake so I'm being a good sister" she replies, a radiant smile on her face.

"Lucky guy" Beck says.

"Oh gosh, sorry I'm so rude. Come in, come in" she says stepping back and giving him more space to enter her home. Beck hesitates at first but then realizes that there is no way he can have the door slammed on him if he was inside the house. He smiles and takes a few steps inside. Rachel closes the door behind him and starts leading him into the kitchen.

Once there, Beck spots an array of ingredients piling on the counter. A mess of flour fills the floor and cracked egg shells surround the mixing bowl. Rachel laughs when she notices his shocked expression. "I can clean this up in two minutes. Here, sit" she says while pulling up a chair near the counter. Once he's sitting, she walks around to the other side of the counter and continues whisking eggs.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while" Rachel continues

Beck nods in response. "Since before the wedding, right?"

"I think so. These last two weeks have gone by so fast. Can you believe André and I got married?" she asks, a small giggle escaping her lips.

Beck laughs at her excitement. "I believe it" he replies.

Suddenly, at the mention of André's name, Rachel's excitement seems to fade away. She recalls her husband's argument with Beck. "Listen, Beck, I know you and Andre aren't necessarily on good terms right now-" she says but is interrupted.

"I actually wanted to know if he was here" Beck says.

"He is, um...upstairs. Let me go get him" she replies and when Beck nods his head, she places the mixing bowl down on the counter and walks out of the kitchen to get her husband.

Beck sits upright on the chair and begins tapping his foot against the ceramic tiles. He looks around the kitchen, taking it all in. It's been a few months since he's been to Andre's house and clearly Rachel has put her own touches on the place. The frilly hand towels and colorful curtains scream Rachel.

"I'm surprised you had the nerve to show up here" Beck hears the voice behind him. Twisting his head quickly, he sees André standing by the door frame, hands crossed across his chest. Beck can tell André is unhappy with his presence and immediately regrets coming.

Beck gets up from the chair and leans back on the counter. He crosses his feet, one in front of the other, and is conscious enough to stands as straight as possible. "I know you talked to Tori" he simply says, his eyes fixed on André. He notices the smirk forming on Andre's face and he narrows his eyes slightly.

"Of course you do" André replies and walks across the kitchen, standing just a few feet from Beck. "I'm sure she told you everything we talked about."

"No, she didn't" Beck replies, quickly wanting to defend Tori.

"Then I'm sure you told her everything that happened. That's why she's giving you another chance, isn't it?" André asks, his smirk fading and his forehead furrows.

"Look," Beck starts pushing himself off the counter, "Tori doesn't need to know what happened between you and me. I'm not here to talk about that."

André tilts his head slightly to the left. "Then what the hell are you here for?"

Trying his best to keep calm, Beck thinks about Tori and how much he wants to make her happy. He knows she would appreciate him talking to André and trying to come to some resolution. Even if this is the last thing he wants to be doing, he knows that he should do it for her.

"I'm here for Tori. I know how much this whole thing is upsetting her and I just came to try to find a way to be civil with you."

André scoffs at his former friend and shakes his head. "What a martyr you are. Doing it for Tori just to get on her good side. Come on, admit you're doing this for your own benefit."

"I'm sure you would like that, but trust me, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. We both know very well that if it wasn't for her we wouldn't have to deal with each other. I'd have no problem never talking to you again. But I know she would, and that's why I'm here."

"You're right," André starts, "I wouldn't have to deal with you if it wasn't for her. She should have listened to me when I told her to kick you to the curb. I'm looking out for her and I know that sooner or later you're going to screw up again. For your sake though, it better be later because I'm looking for any reason to kick your ass."

"You don't need to worry about that. You're not the only person looking out for her. I know I've messed up, but I care about Tori just as much as you" Beck says, getting increasingly annoyed at André throwing his mistakes in his face. If Tori agreed to give him another chance, André should just get over the personal vendetta he has.

"Yeah, right. Let me make one thing very clear. I'm not Tori and I don't forgive people so easily. When you screw me over, you're done. You're too many mistakes past gone, so I'm not looking to be civil with you."

It is now Beck's turn to smirk. He's not surprised by André's response. He hadn't expected André to want to move on, and frankly he didn't care if they ever mended their friendship. The only reason he even came was to make Tori happy and show her he was willing to be the bigger person to make her happy. Whether or not Andre wants to be civil is none of his damn concern.

"You do what you have to do man. Like I said, I'm not here for you. I told Tor I would try to fix things, and I did."

Beck takes one last glance at his former friend. Had someone told him in high school he and André would have a falling out and lose all their years of friendship, he wouldn't have believed them. There was the guy he relied on throughout his teenage years, the person he could go do crazy "guy things" with. For four years, they grew into adulthood together. Sadly, somewhere down the line they got too caught up in their feelings and their friendship never recovered.

Shaking his head at the disappointing thought, Beck turns around and starts walking out of the kitchen. As he reaches the front door, he hears an array of insults coming from the kitchen. Choosing to ignore André, he turns the door handle and opens the door. He takes a deep breath and walks outside. As the door shuts behind him, a weight is lifted from his shoulders.

While he and André are never going to be on the same page, he knows that he at least made the effort to show up. Sure he could have made a bigger effort to resolve things, but he knows things wouldn't have ended differently. The two of them are just very different people at this point, and as sad as that was, he was alright with it. He still had years of memories to look back to.

Beck walks down the narrow driveway and outside the steel door in the yard. He crosses the street to where his car is parked. When he has settled into the driver's seat, he pulls out his phone and sees that he has a text message. Clicking the screen, he smiles when he sees her name on the screen. _"Back home. Stop by when you can, I have food!" _

Beck pulls the seat belt across his body and buckles it. Before inserting the key and starting the car, he replies "On my way."

So what if Andre opposes their relationship? All that matters to him is that she's willing to give it another chance.

**Author's Note: Just wanted to let you know that the next chapter will be the last one. Again, I want to thank those of you who have reviewed, I seriously love your comments. **


	10. Chapter 10

Sitting at the end of the table, Tori can't help but roll her eyes at the sickening display of affection happening just across from her. Holly Vega and her new beau Gary are disregarding the uncomfortable glances thrown their way by their wedding guest and continue their "mild" kissing session. Tori looks towards the other end of the table and notices Trina's equally annoyed expression and for hundredth time that night wishes she hadn't come. Truthfully, she had been reluctant to even show up, if only out of respect for her father, but eventually succumbed to her sister's pleads and Beck's "she's still your mother" speech.

As much as she tries to be a good sport about the awkward situation, she couldn't forget that both her mom and Gary betrayed her father and now her family is broken. She wants to be a good daughter and be happy for her mother's happiness, but she couldn't. Tori could not accept the cheating and lying that took place, all because of the man sitting in front of her. Silently, she continues eyeing Gary. What exactly did her mother see in him? Although he's easy on the eyes, he isn't particularly charming or funny. There is nothing he could offer her that she didn't already have, so what is it?

"Oh for the love of all that is holy, can you too take a breather for two minutes?" Trina suddenly exclaims.

Tori quickly turns to look at her sister, startled that she actually said what everyone else was thinking. Actually, that isn't very surprising since it is Trina after all. Trina stands up from her seat and heads outside to the backyard. Tori takes one look at her mother who is visibly embarrassed, and decides that rather than stay and help her mother save face, she's going after her sister to check on her.

"I'll be right back" Tori says, turning to Beck who has been sitting next to her, also enduring the awkward dinner. He nods his head and watches her walk away from the table.

Once outside, Tori finds Trina sitting on one of the rocking wicker chairs, her legs propped up and held close to her chest. Slowly, she walks around the chair and sits on one opposite it. For a moment the two sisters make eye contact and then Trina looks up towards the sky.

"I used to sit out here with dad all the time" she says without looking at Tori.

"You did?" Tori asks. She looks from her sister to the sky and then back at Trina.

"Yeah. When we were in high school we would just sit and talk for so long" Trina continues. Tori quickly notices her sister's eyes watering. When was the last time Trina cried? Tori thinks for a moment and can't seem to remember ever seeing her sister shed a tear. Unless you count the times she didn't make it to a shoe sale or was "acting," which Tori didn't.

"What did you talk about?" Tori asks. Though she wants to ask her sister why she's close to crying, she knows that Trina will likely get defensive about it and shut down.

"Everything. School, boys, you...mom. Did you know that he suspected the cheating?"

"Wha-what?" Tori asks, bewildered by Trina's question. "What do you mean he suspected it?"

Trina nods her head and finally turns her attention back towards her sister. For a second, the older Vega sister smiles and rocks the chair gently. "He told me he found a message on her phone...from Gary. He didn't trust him, not one bit."

Tori tries to process this new information and a wave of emotions flow through her body. "When was this?" she asks, trying to figure out how long the deception has taken place. Surely, her mother wouldn't have been capable of having an affair for years, would she?

"My senior year. I came home and they were arguing. It seemed like nothing at first but then I heard yelling and things breaking-"

"Where was I?" Tori interrupts. How is she just learning about this?

"Out" Trina simply says with a shrug.

The next few minutes are filled with silence. Trina unfurls her legs and rocks the chair again. She throws her head back a bit and looks back up at the sky, watching the starts twinkle and the leaves on the trees sway with the gentle breeze. Tori looks behind her sister and through the glass doors. In the house she sees her mother throwing her head back in laughter, her hand caressing the back of Gary's head. Across from them, she sees Beck offering a polite smile while turning the fork on his plate.

"Are you happy Trina?" she asks, breaking the silence.

Confused by her sister's question, Trina says "why do you ask?"

Tori slowly draws her attention away from the people inside and looks down at the bottom of the chair Trina is sitting on. She watches as the legs move back and forth, a creaking sound coming from it when Trina rocks backwards. "I've never asked you before" she replies.

Trina opens her mouth to answer, but quickly closes it again. For a short moment she thinks of the question and finally responds "I am."

Tori looks up at her sister and a small smile grows on her face. "You are?" she asks again. Trina lets out a small laugh and sits back further on the chair.

"I am. I'm finally in a good place. I'm getting married soon, to the most amazing man and I'm truly, positively happy Tori."

"I'm glad. I know I haven't always been there for you but you're my sister Trina and I just want you to have everything you want, because you deserve it."

"Oh come on Tor, don't get all sappy on me now, it'll ruin our dynamic" Trina says, hopping excitedly out of the chair and flipping her hair back. Tori can't help but laugh and follows suit. She stands just a few feet from her sister and before she can say anything else, she feels her sister's arms around her, squeezing her tightly. Tori brings her arms up and returns the embrace. This is the first time in a really long time she has been this close to her sister and though it's a minor step for them, Tori can already sense a change in their relationship.

Trina slowly drops her arms and takes a step backwards. "We should get back in there. I'm going to get out of here, I have seen enough old people PDA for one night" she says, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, thanks for saying something in there. I couldn't take it anymore" Tori exclaims, remembering why she came out here in the first place.

"Trust me, it was necessary. Most uncomfortable evening ever. James couldn't stop cringing when she did that stupid whining voice."

Tori laughs, "Beck and I just kept turning our heads every time they got too close."

"Yeah, let's just all call it a night" Trina says and slowly starts walking towards the doors. Tori follows her sister, happy for the bonding moment they have just had. While her sister can have her crazy and wild moments, Tori wouldn't trade her for anyone. After all, Trina is indirectly responsible for all the great things that have happened in Tori's life. If it hadn't been for her sister, she wouldn't have made it into Hollywood Arts and met her best friends, or Beck. She wouldn't have realized her love of music or how passionate she is about acting.

Once they are back inside, both girls help their mother clear the table. The three women clean up quietly, none of them bringing up the earlier incident. Tori glances over to where Beck is standing, talking to James. She smiles and is happy to see him getting along with her future brother-in-law. Seeing him around her family just seems so natural. As she's putting the plates in the dishwasher, she hears Gary coming down the stairs and walking over to her mother. He playfully spins her and dips her, in a dance-like motion. Taking this as her cue to go, she quickly finishes loading the dishwasher and bids farewell to her family.

As she is following Beck towards the front door, Tori hears her mother calling out to her. She walks back to where her mother is standing alone, thankful that Gary is busy talking to Trina and James near the kitchen.

"What's going on mom?" Tori asks. She takes a quick glance at Beck who is waiting over by the door and holds up one finger, letting him know she will only be a minute. He nods his head and she turns back to her mom.

"Look, I just want to apologize for tonight. I know it isn't easy for you girls to watch me and Gary together. I know you probably won't believe me but I do still love your father, but we grew apart. He'll always be special to me, but I'm in love with Gary now. I wish you could just try to get to know him, maybe give him a chance."

Tori sighs and runs a hand through her long hair. She hates that her parents divorced and even though she's older and fully capable of understanding that feelings do change, she can't help but feel that she's betraying her father by accepting her mom's relationship with Gary. However, it is also unfair for her to hurt her mother's feelings by not making the effort to support her new relationship.

"Look mom, I don't have a problem trying to get along with Gary, but you two can't just keep making out in front of Trina and me. It makes us uncomfortable and it's embarrassing when you do it in front of Beck and James."

Holly nods her head in understanding. "Okay, I promise to tone it down. Thank you so much sweetheart, you have no idea how much this means to me" she continues and tightly goes in to hug her daughter. Tori brings one arm up and wraps it around her mother's petite figure. Quickly, the two women say their good byes and Tori walks back over to Beck.

"Ready?" he asks her and once she nods her head yes, he takes her hand in his and opens the door. The young couple walks outside to where Beck's truck is parked. He walks over to the passenger side and opens the door.

"And they say chivalry is dead" she exclaims playfully.

"I might have to stop, otherwise you'll get high expectations" he retorts with a wink. She rolls her eyes, a smile still on her face and slides into her seat. He closes the door and walks around the other side.

Once inside the car, Beck turns to Tori and smiles at her. "Interesting night, huh?"

She scoffs and shakes her head. "I'm sorry you had to sit through that. I'm sorry _I _had to sit through that."

He lifts his arm and reaches over to her. Slowly, he strokes her hair and gently pulls her head closer to him. "You don't need to apologize to me. I love spending time with your family. They're a little crazy, but whose isn't?"

Tori laughs and voluntarily gets closer to his. "You're amazing" she says. She brings her hand up to his face and closes the small gap between them, until their lips are nearly touching. Slowly, his eyes close as he awaits the contact of her lips.

"I love you" Tori whispers and his eyes snap open as soon as the words leave her mouth.

"Really Tor?" he says after a few seconds, his voice trembling in disbelief.

Tori smiles and nods her head. "I do, I love you so much."

Beck leans over and crashes his lips onto hers. Finally, after over a year, he's finally hearing those words. The same words he had taken for granted before. Now, however, they mean everything to him. As the kiss deepens and begins getting too intense, Tori pulls away. "Wow" she says, her eyes fluttering open and the corners of her mouth curving upwards.

Beck laughs at her reaction and reaches over to the seat belt. He brings it across his chest and buckles it. "So," he starts, "do you want me to take you to your apartment or do you want to stay over at my place?"

Tori looks down at her watch and sees that it's just after nine o'clock. After having to suffer an uncomfortable night, she could have sworn it was later than that.

"Tor?" he asks, unsure if she's heard him.

"I want to go home" she replies.

Beck nods and starts the engine. "Okay, let's take you home" he says. As soon as his hand rests on the stick shift, she reaches over and puts her hand on top of it.

"No, you don't understand. I want to go home, to _our _house. I want to move back in" she continues. She looks up at him and her heart melts at the genuine happiness in his eyes.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this" he says. Beck leans over towards her once more and places a quick peck on her lips.

"Let's go home baby" she says once they break apart. Beck nods his head and reaches over to grab her hand, caressing it as he pulls out of the parking spot and starts driving away.

**The End.**

**Author's Note: **_Last chapter! What did you think? Hopefully you liked it. I want to thank those of you who took the time to read/review the story one last time. I had fun writing it. I will not be posting any more Victorious stories for a few weeks but I'll still be reading. If any of you want a BETA reader I'll be more than happy to read your stories. With that said, thanks again and see you guys next time around!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **_So I was not planning on writing this chapter, but someone suggested I write an epilogue and I thought it was a good idea. After writing the last chapter, I figured what better way to end it than take us a few months forward to Trina's wedding just to see how things are going with everyone. Hope you like this short chapter. _

**Epilogue**

The priest stands front and center, reciting verses about infinite and eternal love. His voice drowns out any other sound and the words escaping his lips makes the guests hopeful and content. Even the biggest cynic would be moved by the display of affection taking place. Tori stands just behind her sister, a smile from ear to ear on her face. Watching Trina and James getting married has felt like a long time coming and the sheer love that fills the room makes the last two years of her life seem insignificant.

She can hear the tremble in her sister's voice as she begins reciting her vows to her groom. "With you I've experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows and now, standing here in front of you, I know that it's all been worth it. Every disappointment in my life prepared me for this moment and allows me appreciate you" Trina starts, and tears immediately build in the eyes of every spectator in the room.

Tori takes the opportunity to glance around the room at the guests, all perfectly groomed and smiling. For a slight second, she frowns when she spots her parents sitting on opposite sides of the church, her mother leaning close to Gary and her father's arms wrapped around his newest girlfriend, Caroline. As happy as this moment is for the Vega family, it isn't perfect because at the core of them, they are still picking up the pieces of the divorce. All four have made the effort to move on, but it is a process that has taken longer than they had hoped.

Sitting just a few rows from her father she sees André and Rachel. The newlyweds are calm and happy. André leans over and whispers something in Rachel's ear which makes her smile grow even wider. At one moment, Tori makes eye contact with André and he smiles at her and nods his head. Happily accepting his gesture and glad to be rebuilding their friendship, she quickly waves at him and goes back to scanning the room.

Further back are Robbie and Cat, sitting next to Michael. The former couple, wearing coördinated outfits, are carrying on a conversation which Tori hopes is about their relationship. For the past several months, they have gotten to a better place, both individually and as friends. Robbie has forgiven Cat for leaving and has tried very hard to trust her again. He has helped Cat seek agents and read scripts for local musicals in an effort to get her out of the restaurant and closer to her dreams of becoming a singer.

Finally, Tori sees Beck sitting in one of the front pews. His crisp white shirt and gray tie compliment his olive skin just right. His usually unruly hair is perfectly slicked back into a pony tail, allowing her to focus solely on his dark brown eyes. She watches her boyfriend, who is far too concentrated on the ceremony to notice her watching him. Now more than ever, Trina's vows ring true to her. Had someone told her a yer ago that she would forgive him for the infidelities and once again love him unconditionally, she would have laughed. How ludicrous the idea would have been to her then. But here she stood, absolutely and completely in love with the man and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Their relationship has survived distance, lies and cheats and yet it is something she doesn't regret working to keep. Of course people assume she's insane for taking him back, people such as André who still refuses to speak to Beck and is always wary of the possibility of him hurting her again. While Tori appreciates the concern, she knows Beck. She sees the change in him... In _them_, and she knows the possibility doesn't exist. Not anymore.

"I do" she hears James say and she brings her attention back to the couple before her.

"I do too" her sister replies, sending a wave of laughter in the room.

As the priest blesses their newly married status and they seal it with a kiss, the guest erupt in howls and applause.

An hour or so later, once cocktail hour and the receiving line are over, everyone is ready for the reception. It takes Tori just a few minutes to kick off her heels and switch to more comfortable shoes. She stands in the corner, swaying slowly from side to side while Trina and James share their first dance as husband and wife. As Al Green's "_lets stay together_" blares from the speakers and a spotlight shines on her sister and brother-in-law, Tori feels a pair of arms wrapping around her waist.

Without turning around, she recognizes the hands and brings her own to rest on top of them. Gently, Beck leans his head on the crook of her neck, moving her slowly from side to side to the beat of the music.

"You look beautiful" he whispers to her. Tori smiles, knowing that only he would say that despite the questionable bridesmaids dress she has been forced to don.

"Thank you, you look very handsome" she replies, finally turning around to look at him. A strand of hair has managed to break free of the rest and she reaches over to push it behind his ear.

"Thanks babe" he says, grabbing her arm and bringing it up to his lips. He places his hand in the small of her back and pulls her closer to him. The close proximity makes her dizzy for a moment and she lets him take the lead. The young couple dance along to the song, both acknowledging the lyrics as true in for them as well.

"This will be us soon" Beck says after a few moments of silence. Tori's eyes widen.

Marriage. Sure she had thought about spending the rest of her life with him, but it's been a while since she saw them heading down that road. Ever since his last indiscretion, the idea hadn't crossed her mind. She had been too preoccupied trying to fix her life and start over. Even once they agreed to work things out, she was determined to take it slow and start from the beginning. Could they possibly be at this point after just a few months of being "officially" back together?

"No pressure" he replies, a smirk on his face.

She thinks about his words, and realizes that there would never be a sure way of knowing if they are indeed ready for marriage. Having been together for so long and going through the things they have while still being able to love each other proves that they are willing to make it work no matter what. Means that they love each other so much that even after the worse moments, they will still fight to be together. So why couldn't they think about marriage?

Looking at him, being so close to him and sharing such a happy occasion with him makes her realize that she wouldn't want to be with anyone else. As the song starts fading out, she is convinced that she is staring in the eyes of her future husband...but she doesn't tell him that.

Not yet.


End file.
